


Stroke by Stroke

by SulphuricAcid



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Au Hogwarts - Freeform, Everyone Is Alive, Falling In Love, Hogwarts is a prestigious muggle-school, M/M, Rowing, basically my first fic ever, beginns with Harry/Cedric, different POVs, enemies turning lovers eventually, turns into Drarry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-20 09:35:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3645453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SulphuricAcid/pseuds/SulphuricAcid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hogwarts is one of Britain's most prestigious academies, uniting four schools under it's roof (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin). It's famous for a lot of things, one of them is rowing.<br/>Harry Potter is the star of Gryffindor's rowing team and Draco Malfoy is the captain of Slytherin's, they hate each other, everyone knows that. As the competition between the houses intensifies and the pressure to lead their boats and teams rises, both boys are constantly at each others throats...or at least they wish they where.<br/>How long can they continue to clash with each other before something will happen?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Firebolt

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thanks for reading this fic...it's the first work of fanficiton I have ever written so I hope I don't suck^^ (I'm looking forward to get feedback so please feel free to give me your opinion)
> 
> I wanted to write a fic with Harry and Draco rowing instead of playing Quidditch and I thought it might be fun to built a little more background around this idea, this work in progress is the result.  
> I'm not really familiar with the British school system so I didn't even try to be realistic on that part...basically I imagine the Hogwarts in my story as a school that teaches pupils from approximately 11-18, similar to the books, but I also like the idea of attaching a college or university that the students can choose to attend, which would mean they stay enrolled at Hogwarts longer that...for now, all students I wanted to have in this story that are too old to still attend Hogwarts just drop by whenever because they are still involved with the sports teams...kind of as honorary work...I hope all of that doesn't get too artificially constructed in the end^^
> 
> There are a lot of rowing-terms in this fic but you probably will understand everything without knowing them in detail...most important: For the most time, I'll talk about "rowing eight" which is a boat with eight people and eight sweeps (oars), that means everyone has one oar while in smaller boats, rowers might have two sculls (also oars but a slightly different kind), those boats are also called shells
> 
> But most important probably: English is only my second language so please forgive me any errors and grammar mistakes I'm bound to make at some point.
> 
> Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belongs to me, but to JKR, this work is only written for entertainment, not for commercial reasons

"Stroke, aaaaand stroke, keep it up guys, push! Stroke, steady, keep the rhythm, stroke, get into the water together, and mind your pace"  
The quietness of the English riverside was disturbed by the low stutter of a small boat's motor, the easy up-and-down splashes of waves and the even plunge every time the oars broke the surface just to be pulled forward and speed the Gryffindor's rowing boat.

Wood, the team's honorary captain, supervised them from a motorboat keeping pace next to the shell and shouting at them through a megaphone was the one who really upset the sunny laziness of that Saturday morning and left no doubt to where this setting belonged: The prestigious Hogwarts Academy...more precisely the four schools of Hogwarts that had been united under a common conduct some hundred years ago while still keeping sovereignty to which students they accepted and privilege to certain subjects and fields that made each of the so called Houses of Hogwarts unique:

There was Gryffindor, a prime school to study law and politics, but many famous graduates have also ventured on to become surgeons, join special units, security services or the police task forces (thanks to their expertise in martial arts Gryffindors took pride in) or travel the world in a search for death-defying challenges in extreme sport. Boldness and courage where qualities encouraged and sought for in this House (they where basically a requirement to be accepted), but detractors often tattled that Gryffindors where reckless beyond their own good and that their audacity could only be explained by a lack of cerebral matter.

The ones making jokes about the stupidity of Gryffindors (or anyone's stupidity for that matter) where most of all, of course, Ravenclaws. Being granted entrance to Ravenclaw was equal to an outstanding intelligence, so logically this school excelled in Maths, physics as well as psychology and some obscure specialised cross-section fields of science no one (except Rawenclaws of course) bothered to remember the names or what it was they actually taught there (Spatiotemporal Extragalactic Astronomy for example).

The third sub-school, Hufflepuff (yes, every Hufflepuff would tell you eye-rolling, they already knew that joke about their name, thank you very much) was famous for their biology program as well as their pharmaceutical and medical studies, but they also have brought forth some of the most significant experts in social studies. Kindheartedness and the wish to do good was the one major quality one needed to enter Hufflepuff and tested in Hogwart's very own assessment-test only known as "the sorting" (after it was determined wether or not one was accepted to Hogwarts in general - and to be honest no one exactly knew how they did that, one just got a letter stating they had been accepted, take it or leave it- the sorting decided to what school or house one would exactly be accepted...it was an extravagant procedure but complaining seemed ridiculous when having been granted the privilege to join Hogwarts)

The fourth and final house was Slytherin. It also had an excelent law program, though one that specialised on other aspects: where Gryffindors tended to become defensive and criminal laywers, Slytherins became company laywers, while the Slytherins that took the school's excellent and infamous business classes, became their clients when they found their own companies or took over their parent's (let's face it, even if it was a cliché, it was true: most Slytherins came from old money and some even from smaller aristocratic families...even if they didn't, they used to act the part) Slytherins could handle money almost as well as they could handle others, they where notorious for being selfish and manipulative, but one couldn't argue with the fact that a Slytherin stood by their word and principles (some said it where the wrong principles but then again: those could be found anywhere as fights over the use of humans as lab-guinea-pigs between Hufflepuffs and Raveclaws showed all too often). Having graduated from Slytherin was worth a lot on the international economic market, it meant one had the qualities necessary for leadership, perseverance to reach ambitious goals and the benefit of networking with other Slytherin alumni since it could be taken for granted that even Ex-Slytherins got each other's backs. 

All Houses shared classes in the basic subjects, as well as programs for fine arts, the debating and drama societies, chess and sports. Especially sports. Sports were an important part of living in Hogwarts. Rumours had it that frequently students where only accepted due to their superior athletic performances, therefore it came to no surprise that competition was thriving between the separate Houses.  
There where, of course, the Martial Arts, especially Boxing, Kick-boxing and also Kung Fu, taught by one Remus Lupin, only called 'Wolf' in the sports world, a Hogwarts alumnus himself who had studied and mastered several stiles of Kung Fu, developed his own and came back to teach his style at Hogwarts. Also noteworthy and popular on campus where the equestrian sports, manly showjumping, dressage and polo, (Hagrid, the school's equerry had worked long and hard on breeding the perfect horse-race, sturdy and fast, yet also lean and sold them all over the world) ...other sports like football, swimming and tennis where also offered, but they where considered more a recreational activity than a subject, no one was really interested in football at Hogwarts and that was due to it's traditional main attractions: fencing and rowing.

Everyone was taught fencing at Hogwarts, it was mandatory and only the best where allowed to join their House's team or even to represent Hogwarts at national and international tournaments...basically the whole British Olympia team was assembled from current and former Hogwarts-students. Fencing was serious business here, especially for the children from older families who attended Hogwarts in the nth generation. Equally serious but slightly less prestigious was rowing. It wasn't a mandatory activity and therefore the rowers of Hogwarts often joked that one didn't just become a rower, one had to chosen. Some pupils had taken that joke and run with it by calling Harry Potter, once youngest member of the Gryffindor rowing club who helped to secure victory after victory for his house, "The Chosen of the Chosen Ones'" or simply: 'The Chosen One'

Currently Harry Potter sits in a shell, a racing boat, facing his teammates and listening to Oliver Wood's booming voice, carefully keeping the boat on a steady curse and watching for any irregularity that might require him to correct the helm. He is coxswain, as always when they row an eight-man scull. One might think this was an easy job and one would be wrong: First of all: It required strength to control a boat manned by eight people and weighing itself about a hundred kilograms, secondly a steady hand and sense of balance were needed, especially since the four sweeps on every side of the boat aren't symmetrically allotted in their riggers at the side of the boat, and thirdly: he is built to be a coxswain. He isn't really tall- he isn't short either, actually being short would be even better- and he's lean, apart from his broad shoulders perhaps, he's still scrawny, perfect for a cox. If Wood, also an alumnus who still works part-time as their trainer when he isn't rowing for his University's team, isn't commanding them from the motorboat, it's also Harry's job to keep an eye on everyone and issue commands. 

Ron, Harry's best friend, is their stroke but even if he sits right across from Harry, he can't catch his eyes, the Redhead's whole concentration is on keeping the rhythm and the power of his stroke up, Harry has to grin at the painfully concentrated face of his best mate. It's just the perfect day to row: It's sunny but the air is still crisp and fresh, the water's soft and their team is out all alone on the small river running towards the school's lake. Even with the strained huffs and grunting of each of the four girls and four boys in their mixed boat, it's peaceful and relax- "Hey you Gryffindor-Imbeciles, turn around and bring Firebolt here right this instant!" 

 

Shit...so much to peace. The Slytherin-Team is standing on the landing stage and Draco Malfoy - Draco bloody Malfoy of all annoying bastards in this school - is holding up another megaphone. Harry moans! This git takes every opportunity to disturb their training...but if he'd be completely honest with himself, he also moans because, damn does Malfoy look good in his one-piece-training suit. He is even slimmer than Harry, heck, if Harry stands next to Malfoy, he almost looks buff! His well toned legs are firmly standing about two feet apart, owning the ground, and they're so long it should be illegal on anyone who isn't running down catwalks in High Heels, one hand rests on his narrow hips, pushing them slightly outwards on the other side, his head is held high and framed by silver-blond hair, backlight by the sun like a halo. That stance sure is arrogant (as is Malfoy in general), but also oh-so-sexy...everybody else would look ridiculous standing like that but with Draco Malfoy it just looks natural.

 

"Sod of Malfoy! I wrote us into the schedule myself, we're having Firebolt till ten! Just take one of the other boats." Hermione Granger, who kinda manages their team and sits with Wood in the motorboat filming them (so they could watch themselves later and work on technical mistakes), shouted back.

 

"Negative, Granger! Professor Snape said every team could use Firebolt for only one hour at a time without special permit so that every team in this school has a chance to make good use of our newest and best boat. So just move it over"

 

Hermione was just talking a deep breath to have enough air to tell Malfoy in all verbosity where she rather wanted to move Firebolt to but Wood quickly yanked the megaphone from her hand and shouted over to the bank "S'okay, you get Firebolt and team, we'll just take the hour to talk tactics and technique and then-"

 

"I don't think that'll work, Wood. We have a special permit to use Firebolt for the next two hours since we have to find a new seating order in our boat. Besides, you had it daily since school started!"

 

****************************************************************************************

 

It was hard to argue with that. A lot of things the Slytherins did where unfair - or at least, Harry and his friends complained they where - but Hermione scheduling them for Firebolt everyday last week for at least two hours had been a bit much. Nevertheless, it had been the perfect opportunity, school had just started so there wasn't much homework to do yet, the weather was still great and felt like summer and the new eight racing boat the school had bought during the holidays was simply sublime. 

 

Still Harry was angry. Malfoy had that effect on him, he had always had, so he decided to stay behind at the boathouse and work off his anger in the little gym attached. 

 

He actually thought about confronting Malfoy when the Slytherins training session was over but then, somewhere between his 60 minutes of cardio and some weight lifting exercises, he had forgotten all about being angry, actually he felt great again, just the right amount of tired and worn out with still a great part of Saturday ahead of him. He'd take his time showering, go look for Ron and Hermione and maybe visit Hagrid before heading to lunch...he actually had to learn after that but that was later, he didn't have to think about school for now.  
He hadn't even noticed but the Slytherin-Team seemed to have left already and so he had the whole shower room for himself.  
Still whistling along to the tune of the song playing on his mp3-player, he slipped off his headphones and trainings clothes, headed into the white tiled room and turned the hot water on. As steam engulfed him, he relaxed, his foul mood from earlier completely forgotten, the warm rain washing the sweat from his skin, he closed his eyes - he couldn't see clearly anyway without his glasses - and just stood under the showerhead for a couple of minutes, enjoying the warmth, the song still playing in his mind.

 

****************************************************************************************

 

Draco Malfoy was deep in thought. He'd joined the rowing team of his House in his second year and had been their coxswain ever since...ever since till the end of last school year when he'd finally become too tall for that position and, since he was now also one of the longest running team members, he had been offered to become stroke and team captain starting this year.

 

His first instinct had been to decline that offer, maybe quit the team altogether, or at least stop rowing eight and focusing on rowing single scull, but Professor Snape - that traitor! - knew how to keep Draco motivated...he'd just told his father what an honour it meant to be chosen team captain of one of Hogwart's tradition-steeped rowing teams...his father knew of course what an honour it was since he'd also been student at Slytherin and so he had been delighted!  
Since Draco's career had been secured and planned out since the day he was born (he'd naturally become heir to the Malfoy fortune and funds and administering those was a notable occupation in itself!), his parents wanted him to focus on subjects that would broaden his horizon (as they used to say) and would built his character in fields beyond pure moneymaking towards a cultural and social versed Malfoy that could carry that name with pride.

 

He hadn't had a choice but to accept the offer. It wouldn't be easy to balance the new responsibilities together with the duties he already had, Draco was Slytherin's best fencer and competed in show-jumping, but if he was honest with himself, rowing was special to him. Not necessarily as part of a big team like the eight, but as riding and duelling required his full alertness, rowing gave him tranquillity.

 

After his teammates had already left, he'd taken the time to think about the team member’s positions in the shell - he'd let them change seats during training today to find the perfect balance and the best place for every member in the race boat - and which one of the people that had applied as cox would be best suited to join.

 

Still brooding, he didn't really notice that the showers weren’t as empty as he'd assumed until he was already standing in the doorway, stark naked and being confronted with Harry Potter of all people. Luckily the Gryffindor had his eyes closed and hadn't yet noticed Draco standing there, therefore the tall blonde had time to recover from that surprise, it wouldn't do for Potter to see the look of shock and ... and something that definitely wasn't longing...at most it was appreciation of the other young man's well trained body. 

 

Draco's eyes wandered over Harry's broad and tanned shoulders that seemed to roll with muscles, even now with the dark haired boy standing casual, his glance wandering on over Potters toned chest, raising softly with each breath, followed the narrowing line of his waist, his eyes caught by the strip of hair leading yet further down - Draco slapped himself mentally! This was not the time to swoon over Potter, not when they had to share this room.

 

The Slytherin pulled himself together, straightened himself, composed his features and finally entered the room fully.  
"Potter" he greeted the other boy loudly to make himself noted (but also delighted that Harry was startled and flinched slightly), and did his best to flounce elegantly yet accented nonchalantly towards a showerhead on the opposite wall.  
He didn't let it show, but his body prickled with self-awareness: he was naked and alone with Potter for god's sake! Facing away from the Gryffindor he struggled to keep his breath even and just shower. He had to resist the urge to turn around and see if Potter would be looking at him, at his body and if he, perhaps...at least a little bit, could make out if he liked what he saw.

 

The worst part of all that wasn't that he knew that Potter was gay, the worst part was that it bothered him not for the obvious reason: being naked in front of someone that might desire by his body or gender in general, that might have smutty thoughts seeing him that way, but for the opposite in fact: being naked in front of someone he secretly desired, with all the longing but without the hope of having his feelings reciprocated.


	2. Shower

There where two reasons that his feelings for Potter where obviously one sided: The boy hated his guts, he always had and to be honest, Draco had only fuelled that animosity not realizing that his desires were in truth far from hostile.  
But it didn't even matter, he probably could have been the prat's best friend and still he wouldn't stand a chance because Harry Potter had a boyfriend so even the notion of them having a one off or the random hook-up every now and then (the things Draco considered at least to be in the realm of Reality) wasn't up for discussion.

 

****************************************************************************************

 

It had been last Mai when Draco found out about Potter and Diggory, he had been riding out in the woods and was just storing the tack back into the little shed next to the stables when he heard it: suppressed moans and shushed giggling came out of the hay barn, its doors standing slightly open as if someone in a hurry hadn't closed them properly, before Draco had even thought properly about it, he had lurked inside through the gap and almost let the saddle slip out of his hands - just like in a bad Hollywood movie he thought afterwards - but the scene inside the barn had been beyond his wildest imagination: Cedric Diggory had Harry Potter pinned to the wall and was snogging him furiously, their fingers where entwined in each others clothes and hair, trailing across their bodies.  
Diggory was an alumnus, just a few years older than himself and Potter, and ever since he graduated a year earlier, he still frequently came to visit on weekends as so many alumni did before careers or families prevented them from making the time to still involve themselves in the extracurricular activities or train their old sports teams. 

 

Cedric had been the star rower of Hufflepuff while still in Hogwarts, also a decent fencer and talented piano player. Everybody liked him, even Draco had respected him and enjoyed their dueling, but he used to be especially close to Harry ever since they where both chosen to compete as school champions in a competition with their partner-schools Durmstrang and Beauxbaton. 

 

Draco didn't have any idea just how close that meant. Potter, the slightly smaller of both boys, suddenly whirled Diggory around and was now the one pinning Cedric to the wall, while one hand was twisted with his partners, their fingers knotted tightly, Potter's other hand became purposeful and started to work on his belt buckle, his mouth trailed a sloppy path of little bite marks from his jaw line down his neck and over his collarbones before dropping down to his knees and pulling Diggory's trousers and pants down in the same movement. Cedric smiled lazily down to him and let a hand rest in Potters dark and unruly hair while his other stroked his already erect length, Potters hand joined his, slowly stroking from shaft to tip, pulling back the foreskin and exposing drops of precum which Potters tongue eagerly licked off, letting his tongue travel further down the underside of Cedric's erection, closing his second hand around his balls and tugging softly, rolling them between his fingers and generating groans of pleasure from the older boy before - finally - closing his lips around the head of the swollen cock in front of him, taking in Cedric's whole length, gaining another appreciative moan from the other man, with practiced ease and started to bob his head up and down, guided by the other man's hand in his hair.

Draco tried to swallow but his mouth was dry, the sight in the barn had captured his full attention and he had to muster all his willpower to turn away before on of the two might notice him at last or his own arousal, now painfully pressing against his tight riding slacks, became unbearable.

 

As fast as he could without making too much noise he finally put away his riding gear and hurried to find a secluded bathroom to relief the pressure that had built up in his groin.

 

Watching Potter blowing Diggory haunted him as he, trousers only pushed down as far as necessary to free his cock and vehemently pumping it he had to prop an arm against the wall of the toilet stall and bite his hand to prevent moaning too loud as the pictures he'd seen replayed in his head over and over again in vivid details:

 

How Cedric's head had been falling back against the barn's wall, his eyes rolling back into his head, murmuring "Fuck...Harry" 

A piano player's slender fingers twisted into dark strands of hair

Harry's eyes looking hungrily up to Cedric while his lips stretched around his cock

His hand travelling along Diggory's towards is backside

 

Harry ravaging Cedric's neck, sucking at his throat, catching his sensitive skin between his teeth  
Draco didn't last long and with a guttural, almost animal like growl he came, his vision blacked out for a moment, his legs threatening to give in...panting and sweating he let the post-coital waves of ebbing pleasure wash over him and realized that, indeed, he was fucked. There was no way to deny his attraction to Potter now, something he had always denied vigorously, even to Pansy who enjoyed pointing out his obsession with Potter at every opportunity but he could live with that. He could live with wanting to shag an attractive man even if he actually hated his guts...he could handle desire...however he couldn't handle (but he also couldn't deny) the ugly, painful pang of jealousy he'd felt as he saw Diggory.

Facing Harry afterwards had been hard, anytime their eyes met, he was reminded of Potter kneeling in the barn or being pushed against the wall Cedric's body pressed flush against his...this fantasy kept on haunting Draco and it only became more vivid as time passed...certainly they had met like that and made out before...where else on the school ground and what else did they do with each other? If he'd stayed and watched longer, might they have - no! He purposefully prevented his thoughts from going in that direction, it wouldn't help lessen the arousal tightening his chest every time he saw Potter and moreover, it would be painful to imagine him having sex with another man...even if Draco would never admit that fact, not even willingly to himself.

 

Still, these scenes haunted him...although in his mind of course he imagined himself as Potter's partner. In reality he knew that he was no match for Diggory, if anything they where equal considering intelligence or athletic talent, but his amiable character and easy camaraderie where something Potter clearly would prefer over Draco's cool facade and controlled, aloof demeanour. In his heart he'd known for a long time that he wanted Potter but couldn't have him and he coped with this fact in the same way he'd always coped before: showing only contempt and scorn towards the other boy.

 

Nursing this crush on Potter any further was useless, Draco knew, yet he couldn't help himself getting into fights and bickering with Potter whenever possible and dreaming of his hands and lips at night. 

 

He couldn't remember how it started...well technically, he could remember the start of his and Potter's notorious rivalry, with that moment in their first year when Potter had declined his hand in friendship, he just couldn't remember how they'd come from such a trifle event...because in hindsight Draco knew that Potter probably hadn't realized what this moment had meant for Draco, what an insult it had been, as well as the fact that eleven year olds couldn't be held responsible over years for acting childish in an event like that, they had been little boys making the impromptu, badly thought through decisions little boys made, that was a pretty bad reason to let him suffer for the rest of his educational career now, wasn't it?

So he had no idea how this one little moment could have triggered the snowball - heck - the bloody avalanche of events, of harsh words and fights that had cumulated over the years and left them standing as nemeses and frankly: he just didn't know any other way to handle Potter by now. 

 

****************************************************************************************

The familiar voice snarling "Potter" snapped Harry out of his daydreams. What the hell was Draco bloody Malfoy still doing here? Did he have to ruin every quiet moment he had today? Malfoy strolled casually, feline like, towards one of the other showsers and turned it on without further acknowledging Harry's presence. 

He couldn't help taking in Malfoy's naked form...not that he hadn't seen him clad in his tight rowing pants or swimwear before, he technically knew what Malfoy looked liked, he just didn't know the details: his long legs ended in a perfectly round, firm small butt sinewy muscles and tendons played over his arms and legs as he moved - how the heck did he manage to stay that pale with all the outdoor sports? - his back almost glowed white and he followed his spine down from where it became visible at the nape of his neck - a spot he suddenly felt the urge to kiss - over his shoulder blades that where outlined under his soft-looking skin and finally reaching the small of his back where it disappeared between two lovely dimples, perfect to press your thumbs into while you... ok stop!... it wouldn't do to lust over Malfoy while they where in the same room and he might turn away anytime and see Harry stare, moreover, blood was already flooding his groin and getting fully erect now would just be too humiliating.

 

Luckily he'd spend enough time in the shower to leave without appearing to flee the scene or retreat from Malfoy's presence...after all, there was a maximum of time you could reasonably spend to shower...right?

 

Careful not to seem to eager he turned the water off, wrapped a towel around his still dripping wet form and with a short, just curt enough, "Bye, Malfoy" he left the room.

 

Draco's sigh of relief was drowned out by Harry's own, he felt like ye could breath again after the shower room seemed to have been getting smaller and smaller with every minute he'd spent in Malfoy's presence...pity though he hadn't been able to catch a really good look of the boy's physique without the aid of his glasses...it had been just enough to fuel his imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :) I promise there will be a little more Drarry-Action in the chapters to come but I have a weak point for Harry/Cedric...I always imagine that Cedric would be the perfect first boyfriend for Harry, the guy that helped him to come out


	3. Something's changing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom! Next chapter :D and I'm already writing the next though it will probably be short (for once^^), thanks for all the great feedback so far, my ego is up in the clouds! If I may say so myself, I really like this chapter for all it's dialogue
> 
> Just a couple more rowing-terms explained:
> 
> \- For most racing boats there is a coxed and a coxless version (but eights are always coxed). So in coxed boats there is a additional person in the boat to steer it (sitting in the stern and facing the others) but the boat is still classified by the number of persons rowing, not counting the cox/coxswain
> 
> \- single scull boats are really, really narrow and they are kinda hard to keep balanced, they easily overturn for people not used to handle them, but it usually doesn't happen to versed rowers
> 
> and now: Enjoy reading!

"Careful, someone will someday catch you staring at Potter, maybe even - god forbid - he'll notice himself...although honestly I doubt that, he is after all thick as a brick" the soft voice of his best friend Pansy purred into his ear as she slid into the chair next to his and started to fill her plate with steamed vegetables.

 

Draco wasn't sure if Pansy actually knew the real reason for his obsession with Potter or if she just had a hunch that she tried to confirm by pulling his leg and he surly wouldn't be doing her that favour, even if she was one of his best friends, she could also be a cunning beast and it was probably wiser to leave her in doubt. Even if just to prevent rumours from spreading.

 

"Once again, Pans, I have no idea what you're talking about", he replied innocently

 

"Sure you don't."

 

"I was just thinking about what to do with the eight-team this year..."

 

"Course you where."

 

"But you wouldn't know since you have no mind for the art that is rowing."

 

For anyone that didn't know them, their bickering had to sound arrogant and almost malicious but both of them enjoyed and valued their mock-catfights and that they understood one another without having to drop their facades.

 

"How was your dressage training today?"

 

"Don't think I didn't notice that you avoid the topic at hand but I'll let it slip: Thank you, it was actually pretty productive, Nagini was in great shape today, we're starting to catch up on what we missed during summer break"

 

Pansy continued to tell him in detail what she and the mare she was riding in dressage had accomplished and it actually took Draco's mind away from his own thoughts, by the end of lunch they were eagerly discussing recent equestrian sports events, the pros and cons of the different school-horses (although they all trained with the one horse assigned to them and therefore hardly ever switched) and he had almost forgotten his encounter with Potter that morning.

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

 

Harry's eyes trailed through the cafeteria and rested for a moment on Malfoy talking animatedly with Pansy, but he couldn't let his gaze linger since Hermione and Ron together with some other team members discussed strategies for the upcoming regattas using cutlery and condiments to symbolise the boats.

 

"McGonagall wants our nomination for the school's joint boats by the end of next week, you ok if we suggest you as cox for the eight" Hermione's voice cut into his thoughts.

 

"Sure but I also want to row myself in one of the smaller boats" Harry replied pulling his mind back to the topic at hand.

 

"Demelza and I thought about applying for double scull." Ginny piped up.

 

"Ginny, apart from the singles, boats for the school's varsity team must be manned by students from at least two different houses" Hermione reminded her.

 

"Fred and George always rowed double scull!" Ginny replied slightly pouting.

 

"They where way to good not to, Professor Hooch just had to turn a blind eye on them stretching the rules...too bad the Padma and Parvati don't row." Ron contributed around a mouth full of mashed potatoes.

 

"Ron, just because they're twins as well doesn't mean they'd be as good as your brothers." The brunette girl scolded looking pointedly at him in an unspoken going-over of his table manners.

 

"What about if Dem and I get a cox from another house and row coxed pair instead? Maybe Luna would..."

 

"That's a great idea Ginny, but Luna has never even sat in a boat before...why don't you ask Daphne's sister, I heard Astoria is Slytherin's new coxswain for their eight..."

 

"But Mione she's _Slytherin_!" Ron pointed out the obvious in the same voice he might have used to tell them that pigs couldn't fly.

 

"So what, Ronald! You mightn't have heard, but some Slytherins are actually _nice persons_. It's not like _all of them_ are in an evil conspiracy plotting to take over the world and helping some Overlord rise to power!" Hermione crossed her arms and huffed in mild annoyance.

 

"They _could_ just as well, you don't know for sure!" Ron told her with a dead-serious glance, pointing his forefinger at her face.

 

"What _I know_ for sure is that she must be a good coxswain if Malfoy chose her, he wouldn't pick anyone but the best." she did her best to ignore the digit pointing between her eyes like a homing device and gave Ron one of her _be-reasonable-for-once_ looks.

 

"He's probably sleeping with her and that's how she made the team" Ron murmured, unable to admit defeat without a last blow.

 

"I highly doubt that, mate." Harry tried to calm the waves "Can't we just continue to talk about some of the other boats and forget about the doubles for now? Besides Cedric told me a few Ravenclaws asked the Hufflepuffs if they'd like to put together some pairs"

 

He purposefully ignored the scrutinizing look Hermione darted at him; luckily she was quickly wrapped up again in their talk about boats and team combinations and eventually the cafeteria staff kicked them out after everyone else had long left the great hall.

 

He spent the rest of the day wrapped up in homework and training with Remus...and definitely _not_ thinking about his encounter with Malfoy in the shower, he thought about that git already more than was probably healthy. Hermione, and sometimes even Ron, made sure he was aware of that...in his defence: Malfoy did everything to jar on his nerves! He normally just didn't think about Malfoy in such _intimate_ ways.

 

There was nothing however to keep his imagination occupied once he lay in his small bedroom and his mind mercilessly pulled forth the images of Malfoy: How he'd looked that morning on the landing stage, backlighted by the piercing morning sun, strolling into the shower room as casually as he used to stroll into classrooms, his hips slightly swinging from side to side with every step...the way his lips curled at one end as he argued with Hermione in the same way as when he knew the answer to the teacher's question but waited for the right moment to reveal his knowledge with the greatest effect, his grey eyes sparkling mockingly...he'd let his hair grown over summer, it was already long enough to be restrained in a small ponytail, single strands still falling into his face framing his chiseled features...soaked with water they fell straight down, almost touching his shoulders shimmering golden instead of white blond and he had had to restrain himself from reaching out and brushing the wetly sticking strands behind the other boy's ear...

 

Lying under his blanket, already softly panting, he envisioned himself doing just that, brushing Draco's hair back and kissing the soft skin behind his earlobe, earning himself a sharp inhale turning into a soft moan, Draco leaning into his touch and barring his neck to give Harry better access. He imagined continuing tenderly kissing the taller boy's neck while he spun him around into his arms, cradling the back of his neck and gently pulling Malfoy's face down to his.

 

Their lips met, hesitant at first, brushing against each other till finally Draco, growling deep in his throat, briskly cupped Harry's face with his tall hands and crushed their mouths together, the kiss was hot and messy, water still endlessly running down their bodies and slicking their skin.

Harry's head began to swim with all the sensations rushing over him, he pressed his chest against Malfoy's the feeling of smooth, wet skin against his further increasing his already eminent arousal as he rolled his hips forward, meeting and Draco's equally erect cock. Before his inner eye, Harry saw them fiercely entangled into each other, as close as they could possible be without merging into one and the picture was intoxicating, his real hand travelled towards his cock, closing around it's shaft and started pumping, while he imagined that the hand stroking him towards orgasm was Draco's and how his own hard flesh would fell in Harry's hand while he returned the favour.

 

He pictured how they would look, standing under the warm drizzle, wanking each other of while fingernails scratched over backs and clawed into muscled arms, teeth and tongues wrestling, hips bucking wildly. How Malfoy's cool and controlled mask slipped and his expression unravelled into lust and longing for Harry.

Imagining Malfoy like that, raw with emotion and undone with ecstasy finally pushed Harry over the edge, his balls tightened, his toes coiled into the bedsheats and stars burst before his eyelids. Heavily breathing and covered in sweat he tried to understand what the _fuck_ he had just done.

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

 

He hardly slept that night; his own imagination had left him too confused to make sleep possible. He had never, ever, ever before envisioned Malfoy in that way (at least not that he'd dare to admit to himself)...he had of course acknowledged that Malfoy was a fit bloke and had become more beautiful as the years went by but still, he'd never considered doing... _stuff_ with him...or at least not outside of jokes.

 

So he had tossed and turned until the sun started to peek up behind the treetops and he decided that he could just as well have an early start into the day, he quickly put on a set of sports clothes and went down to the boatshouse, focusing on getting one of single sculls into the water instead of thinking of the shower inside the building, then he put on his headphones and his mp3 player into the sleeve strapped around his upper arm, started his favourite playlist and began to row out onto the river.

 

Finally he could calm down and stop thinking about anything but pushing the sculls through the water and keeping the narrow boat balanced. He started out by rowing easygoing, just enjoying the way the boat parted the water and the repetitive motion of his strokes pushed him forward, but eventually he picked up pace by bringing more strength into his movements and propelled the single scull faster and more powerful down the river savouring as his heart-rate picked up together with his pace.

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

 

Draco was an early riser. Manly so since he liked efficiency. He enjoyed making the most out of a day, planning ahead and getting things done and therefore, even on Sundays, he usually got up before eight o clock...it was 6:00 when his alarm went off today, it would be a busy day and he needed to get his head clear first of all, he'd spent too much time yesterday thinking about Potter again. The picture of him standing under the shower had been burned into his retinas it seemed and came forward any time he closed his eyes...bad enough that he now had dark bags under his eyes from a slight lack of sleep, he really needed to concentrate on the rowing team's arrangement and their nomination for the varsity-team today, plus he had jump training as well and he actually looked forward to riding Riddle, his designated horse extensively. He'd barely had time for him this past week, managing only to fulfil a bare minimum of training and he knew the stallion would be eager to run extensively.

 

But first he decided to start the day in solitude, the river would be deserted and he longed for an hour without people around.

 

As he arrived at the boatshouse, he realized puzzled that one of the single sculls, Nimbus, was already missing, he scowled annoyed, that meant someone else was already out on the river...well, he wasn't going to let his plans for today be thwarted that easily - maybe he wouldn't even meat them - and took Comet down to the river.

 

Far down the stream he could make out the tell tale silhouette of a single scull, it's riggers reaching far out from the needle-narrow boat, sculls reaching out to steady it and making it almost look like a water insect holding itself above the water surface...and he could make out Potter...of course! No one else would start rowing at the crack of dawn on Sunday _bloody_ morning!

His determination was starting to crumble, but there was no backing out now, Potter had already spotted him, waving a small, awkward wave, so he got into the boat and started rowing.

 

He hadn't expected Potter to actually wait up on him - and hadn't seen that he was since his back was turned towards Potter - so he was slightly startled as Potter suddenly shouted:

 

"Uhm, Malfoy...ah...I wanted to say sorry about yesterday."

 

Draco braced himself to shout back that running into each other in the shower was nothing to feel guilty about when Potter continued:

 

"It was unfair from Hermione to confiscate Firebolt like that...I'm sure she didn't mean to disturb your effort to build a new team, she...she means well."

 

Trying to look exasperated Draco turned around so quickly that he needed a second to regain his balance in the boat so narrow that he perched rather on than actually in it.

 

"I know she means well Potter, it was still pretty inconsiderate."

 

"Yeah...she, um, goes a little overboard with her self-proclaimed duties of team manager..." Harry was surprised to actually hear a low chuckle from Malfoy at that.

 

He noticed that their boats where already pretty close together but that was probably better than screaming across the river.

 

"Anyway, with Snape's new rule there shouldn't be any more problems...if Hermione likes one thing, it is making sure rules are followed to a T."

 

Draco couldn't help himself but laugh out loud at that statement but he regained his control immediately.

 

"Potter! Are you trying to say Professor Snape did something right?" he asked mockingly feigning shock, strangely delighted that Potter actually blushed a little.

 

"At least he didn't do something wrong...listen, I suspect we both want to have nice and quite little morning exercise...why don't we pretend we're out here alone and get on with it? Deal?"

 

"Deal" Draco smirked at Potter but in all honesty he was actually a bit disappointed that one of his and Potter's rare decent conversations had ended like that...even if it had still been elusively awkward.

 

 

Draco waited until Potter had once again some fifty meters advantage as to not overtake or collide with him, and then started rowing once more, enjoying the silence and the faint sounds of another couple of oar-blades cutting water accompanying his.


	4. Paparazzi

 

**_Are Hogwart's favourite foes finally forming friendship?_ **

 

_Our photo-reporter was very delighted when his lens caught a very unfamiliar view while out to capture some nature shot for next year's school calender:_

_Harry Potter, also a versed martial artist and Remus Lupin's best pupil as we might add, who gained a high reputation by joining the Gryffindor rowing team as the youngest member in decades during his first year, and has since then not ceased to amaze us as coxswain as well as when he chooses to row himself, was spotted having an early-morning's training-session with no other than Slytherin's star fencer, hopeful aspirant for the next British Olympia team, and captain of the rowing team Draco Malfoy._

_Our exclusive pictures show Potter, who was apparently early for their meeting and therefore had his music-player on him, greeting Malfoy as he hurried to join Potter out on the river. From the looks of it, it's clear that this was not a chance meeting but rather routine for both. They then continued to talk for quite some time, as our pictures now proof, even laughing and joking, before they eventually started to row next to each other._

_What has happened to everybody's favourite pair of rivals? Was their dislike just an act to heat the competition between their teams or have the two of them gradually changed to friends over time without any of us or their close friends noticing?_

_We couldn't catch any of the two for an interview until now but friends of them tell us that Harry Potter as well as Draco Malfoy often rise as soon as the sun's up to get some "quiet rowing" and "alone time" into their full schedules, but we, as the school's voice of the people, have to ask ourselves: just how alone where they in these early hours of dawn? I personally think that this predicts great chances for our rowing-varsity-team this year. Two of Hogwart's best, if not the two top rowers, bonding over their sport and training together in an effort to join forces might turn the tide in our favour._

_(Pictures by C. Creevey; Text by D. Creevey; Editor in Charge B. Zabini)_

 

 

Harry couldn't believe his eyes as he read the Sports-section of this weeks _'Hogwarts Express_ ' for the third time. Hermione, with an expression between a motherly smile and 'Are you serious?' had slipped him the paper during breakfast on Wednesday while he had just started to wonder why everyone gave him puzzled and slightly amused looks. He didn't even notice how his knuckles turned white as he closed his hands into tight fists crumbling the sheets of paper

"I'm going to kill Colin!" he growled "No, I'll smash that fucking camera of his, that'll hurt him more!" Great! That's what he got for being civil to Malfoy once...definitely _not_ worth it! - He thought grudgingly as he vented his spleen by stabbing his porridge with his spoon.

 

His teammates and friends around him darted confused looks at him and between themselves, and not even Ron dared to ask him about the article.

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

 

Draco was fuming with rage, though his face, apart from his eyes that glowed silver and challenging at everyone at the Slytherin table, remained absolutely motionless.

 

Draco Malfoy wrote to Blaise Zabini at 7:45: Blaise, I'll refuse to talk to you pending further notice. How dare you let this SMUT be printed?! None of it is true and you KNOW it!

 

 Blaise Zabini wrote to Draco Malfoy at 7:50: Really, Draco? Texting me while we're sitting only a few chairs apart? Oh and do I know now? All I know is that you are oddly infatuated with Potter since like forever and those pictures do look like you and Potter are all chummy...actually so much, they'd deserve one of those blurry, fuzzy Instagram-filters and some flowers in the corners #bbfs #hotboyshavingfun

 

Draco Malfoy wrote at 7:51: DON'T YOU DARE post those pictures on the internet! Not facebook, not Instagram, heck, not even myspace or we're seriously DONE! I don't know if that's an attempt to be sarcastic or if you're really jealous of the idea that Potter and I might be better friends than you and me but that's ridiculous and would be low, even for you...and seriously: 'since like forever' tell Pansy I won't talk to her either cause that's clearly her choice of words! Seriously, I can't believe you two would stab me in the back like that!

  

Draco Malfoy wrote to Pansy Parkinson at 8:03: Et Tu, Brute!

 

Pansy Parkinson wrote to Draco Malfoy at 8:03: Dramaqueen ;P

 

 

Draco turned off his Smartphone and buried it in the depths of his schoolbag to bring his point across; he would rather chew off his tongue and fingers than talking to Blaise and Pansy (those _traitors_!) any further...or to anyone for that matter.


	5. Team up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another very dialogue-loaded chapter, I'm sorry! (at least a tiny bit)...but I need to get on with the plot and the next will be different, I promise! 
> 
> I'm not sure if I can keep uploading every day because my holidays are coming to an end and I have still some important stuff to do...but I'll try my best to still upload as frequent as possible :)
> 
>  
> 
> ***

"Professors, that article is a completely made up piece of tabloid-trash and the pictures where taken grossly out of context!"

 

"I have to agree with Malfoy, we really only met by chance and we have _never_ had any training together"

 

Harry and Draco had both been summoned by the headmistress and, god knew why, questioned about that article in the school's newspaper.

 

"Hhmm, I suspected that much." Professor McGonagall pondered obviously disappointed by the boys' hurried responses, her eyes, sharp and watchful, resting on them sitting in plush chairs opposite from her in her office while Madam Hooch, the rowing-supervisor, stood silently flanking her.

 

"It really is a pity though, I was hoping to win you both to man on of the school's varsity double scull" her observant eyes looked them up and down to catch any sign they might show faced with those news. As expected shock, disbelieve, outrage but also a hint of pride hushed over both their features.

 

"It would mean a great honour, you know the double scull is one of the most prestigious classes to compete in."

 

"So is the eight." Malfoy shot back quickly and dry.

 

"Professor" Harry tried to reason with the headmistress, well knowing that it would be useless if she'd already made up her mind "Malfoy and I already have a lot of responsibilities that take up our time and, as he pointed out, we will probably make the varsity's eight anyway, so why should we take the opportunity others might deserve more. Cedric Diggory, told me that Ravenclaw's team asked him to find people on the Hufflepuff-team suited to form double sculls with some of them, so why should we create more rivalry?"

 

Draco's stomach flipped as Potter mentioned Diggory so naturally, but he was actually glad to have his support on the matter and hand. Both of them in a small boat without anyone between them to buffer just wouldn't work.

 

"Exactly."

 

Oddly enough McGonagall seemed to agree fullheartedly with Potter, even if he'd just disproved her argument...that couldn't be good. Draco and Harry switched an uneasy glance.

 

"You'll both make the eight, that isn't much of a secret. Infact, you'll be coxswain and stroke. Congratulation."

 

Minerva McGonagall had to fight back the smile that threatened to form on her face as she watched realization on what that would mean in the boys' eyes.

 

"Shit!" Potter murmured under his breath, hardly loud enough to hear, and expressed exactly what Draco thought.

  

"You'll be sitting across from each other, only a couple of feet apart, almost every day, facing each other, eye to eye, until regatta-season is over." Madam Hooch summarized stern-faced.

 

The dawning shock on their faces grew into and turned into ugly certainty, as their imagination kicked in to supply visuals to what that would mean:

 

Malfoy's brow furrowed with the effort to keep pace and power up, the whole crew behind him guided by his movements, his hair falling into his face sticking to flushed skin wet with skin and spray drops of water -

Harry swallowed audibly.

 

Draco didn't notice, his thoughts went similar paths: Potter's emerald eyes transfixed to a point in front of their shell, keeping it on straight line only visible to him, his biceps and tendons flexed and outlined holding the rudder on course while Draco on his sliding seat would draw closer and further apart again with every stroke -

 

They'd be inevitably crowding up each other's personal space _all the time_ and if the time Snape made them pair up as lab partners in chemistry had taught them one thing, it was that they had both rather vast personal spaces they preferred to keep rather devoid of the other...the experiment had ended in Potter burning his hand, Draco getting ammoniac stains on his best shoes and both of them serving a weekend of detention cleaning test tubes and Petri dishes.

When they came close, they fought. This had almost become a law of nature at Hogwarts, irrevocable and cruel.

 

"Do you think you can promise me right now that this won't end in a complete disaster?" asked the rowing instructor, her amber eyes pinning them down.

 

Her question was met with grave silence, since they all knew the answer to that - Harry absentmindedly rubbed the now almost invisible burn mark on the back of his hand - but then Draco had an epiphany:

 

"Isn't there a rule against starting in more than one varsity boat, so that no student gets overreached?" Malfoy asked sounding like a prosecutor presenting his key argument.

 

"Yes Mr. Malfoy, but the rule also states that exceptions can be made if there are not enough suited candidates, actually that applies fairly regularly as well, or if all teachers involved in the training vote in favour of it. I talked to them this morning and they all agree to let you start twice."

 

"What about if I resign from being the varsity's cox...I hear Astoria Greengrass is really promising..."

 

"Have you lost your mind completely now, Potter?" Draco hissed angrily spinning around thunderstruck to face Harry; how could he even suggest stepping down from his rightfull place on the team...only one of those oh-so-noble and utterly _stupid_ Gryffindors could spurn the opportunity to represent the school in a nationwide competition to ' _serve the greater good_ '...also he was quite offended that Potter would rather not row at all than row with him.

 

"Unfortunately, Miss Greengrass is Slytherin." McGonagall responded calmly ignoring Draco's uproar.

 

"That means she would be the third Slytherin in the eight and school rules state that there can only be two members of every house in the eight's team to not overreach anyone."

 

Draco could swear that he saw the faint hint of a smug smile on the Hooch's face as she repeated his own words to them.

 

"Can't this be changed if all teachers involved in training agree to make an exception?" Harry asked innocently.

 

Draco had to hand it to Potter. That was a great and bold comeback...he should have thought of it himself.

 

Madam Hooch, who till now had been standing calmly next to McGonagall slowly unfolded her arms and put them down on the desk, placidly but firmly as if positioning stone pillars, and looked them both alternately into the eyes.

 

"Listen, gentlemen: We have only our best and most experienced rowers in that eight, and as ill luck would have it that both of you fall into this elusive category, changing one of _you_ wouldn't only mean to replace you with the second best, which would always mean someone from another house, therefore, we would have to replace _another_ person as well to even the houses out, but we also have to take gender into account, since we need four boys and four girls to row in the mixed eight, so we'd have to make more and more compromises, you see: that's a vicious circle. Long story short: We can't change the setting of the eight and therefore you two have to get along. If you refuse to learn acting as a team by training in double scull or if you fail to behave and act civil, you'll be taking down the whole eight with you."

 

A dramatic pause followed her explanation as Draco and Harry tried to process what she'd just told them. Whether there would be a varsity eight was made entirely into their liability.

 

"This is madness!" Draco exclaimed fingers clawed around his armrest as if he had to restrain himself from leaping to his feet.

 

"No this is blackmailing." Harry noted perplex looking at McGonagall and Hooch with disbelieve and anger.

 

"Technically, Mr. Potter it isn't." McGonagall calm but resolutely spoke up once more, "It is _entirely_ up to you and Mr. Malfoy whether you want to row double scull or not. All we're saying is if that your...typical rivalry is even the slightest disturbance for our varsity eight and therefore endangering its success, we're prohibiting the boat from starting at the races."

 

The full impact of McGonagall's words silenced Harry and Draco ultimately.

 

They both slowly turned and looked at each other, unsure about what to do. Harry tried to read in Malfoy's petrified face for any hint as to what he was thinking and Draco looked for the same answers in Potter's eyes full of turmoil.

None of them knew what to say next without knowing what the other one might want but it was clear that the women in front of them where waiting for a statement.

 

"I guess we could at least _try_..." Draco finally offered.

 

"Yeah...we could try to row double...I guess it should be enough for now to simply train together though, right...Draco?" Harry took up the thread, deliberately using Malfoy's first name to show his good will and offer a kind of truce.

 

"Right, the varsity competitions won't start before March next year, by than _Harry_ and I should have managed to get along for the sake of the eight without also having to race in the double."

 

"Thus, we'd have more time again to concentrate on the eight and on schoolwork, which is also very important...so basically it would be a...temporary arrangement until..."

 

"Until we've found our...common ground."

 

"Yeah, exactly! Frankly, that shouldn't be too hard." Harry concluded confidently and almost managed to convince himself, grinning relieved at Draco who shot back a lopsided smirk.

 

Their eyes had been locked during their whole speech and when they'd finished and finally looked at Professor McGonagall and Madame Hooch, they somehow knew that they'd come to a silent agreement to really give their best to make it work...at least as long as they had to.

 

 

 

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"That's outrageous! They can't really expect you to row double with Malfoy, no matter how temporarily limited!" Ron clamoured passionately. They where sitting in the Gryffindor's common room, books and notes scattered across the table in front of them but Hermione was the only one actually studying while most members of the rowing team had flocked around Harry as soon as he'd entered to hear what McGonagall had said.

 

"It probably won't be that bad, after all Malfoy is a good rower."

 

"Yeah, but he's also the biggest prat of the entire school and treats you like you're way beneath him...he probably doesn't even care about the varsity eight."

 

"No Ron, really he does care, he almost flipped when I offered to quit the boat -"

 

"You offered to _WHAT_? Harry, are you bloody mental?"

 

"I doesn't matter, that's off the table -"

 

"I sure hope it is!"

 

"Look Ron, I know you can't stand Malfoy and I'm not thrilled either, but I have to try to get along with him so please don't make this harder than it already is. I actually could really use your and the team's support so please: Could you all just stop to talk about Draco like he's the stereotype-bully in some highschool movie? We have to focus on training and a bit of house-unity-spirit could do us all good, after all there'll be more of us and Slytherin on the varsity team" he said addressing the little crowd of his teammates gathered around them.

 

"Come on mate!" he said to Ron boxing his arm playfully "Hermione'll start shooting death rays from her eyes if we don't start doing homework now and, you know, maybe training with Malfoy won't even be half bad."

 

"We won't know what a great guy he can be until we let him show us." Ron offered sarcastically but without any real malice and Harry was relieved to sense that his best friend was on his side.

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

 

Draco ignored everyone as he paced into the Slytherin common room, considerate to look detached. He immediately vanished into his room and fell on his bed with an exhausted sigh. Granted, a part of him looked forward to row with Harry, but for the most part he was just anxious that this would turn into a situation he wouldn't be able to control but still end up being blamed if the varsity eight failed...it was more likely others would denigrate him than the well-likedPotter.

 

It was almost time for dinner when someone knocked at his door and before he could say anything, Blaise stepped hesitantly into his room and sat down on the bed next to him:

 

"Sooo...you're _rowing_ _double_ with Potter? Oh Draco, there's so many places I could go with that." he said smiling but cautious.

 

"Don't even try, Zabini! This is also your and that stupid article's fault. Gave McGonagall the idea we could make a great team." Draco grudgingly murmured staring at the ceiling.

 

The tall boy next to him laughed: "Gonagall really thinks that? That's golden! But anyway," Blaise continued more seriously "I wanted to apologize. The two Creevey-kids came to me all excited with those pictures and the draft for an article and they where so cute in their excitement, like they'd just uncovered Watergate or something! Plus it was the perfect opportunity to wind you up and we really didn't have any other sport news so I couldn't resist. I'm sorry, it became so out of hand"

 

"All right." Draco accepted too strung out to still be angry anyway "But I'll put laxatives in your orange juice if there's one more piece about Potter and me like that." he half-jokingly threatened.

 

Pansy would probably be more eager to speculate about him and Potter but then again, she was always up in other peoples' affairs, no matter if real or made up and Draco liked her too much to hold it against her for too long.


	6. Baby steps

"So...ready for this?" Harry asked as he walked to meet Draco at the boathouse the next morning. They had decided to keep their early training-hours as to not be disturbed by the other boats or get in conflict with their other activities.  
The Blonde pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded silently. The Gryffindor held his gaze for a moment and then walked past Draco into the boatshouse and towards the wall where the double sculls where stacked above each other on their racks, he looked at the stock of boats and turned back to the Slytherin who'd followed his lead. "Any particular one you prefer?" There was not much difference between the shells since they where all the same model, but Draco acknowledged the effort to be civil Harry showed by letting him choose and decided to return the favour and maybe gaining some easy sympathy-points by picking the boat he knew the Gryffindor-team preferred: "Let's take Hedwig."

That was apparently where their ability to work together ended. While carrying the boat down to the river, Draco hoisted it above his head as he was used to, but in the same motion, he all but yanked it out of Harry's hands not having thought about their height-difference or informing the other boy of his move beforehand...from there on things went continuously downhill.  
They completely failed to find a mutual rhythm, which Draco, sitting on stroke, was absolutely not used to. At Slytherin everyone just did exactly what he did and it worked so why couldn't Potter simply comply? Even Vincent and Greg could do that and they where little more than trained monkeys Draco reckoned moodily.  
Harry was either to fast sliding his seat back into starting position, so he had to wait up for Draco to begin the next stroke together, or he just couldn't seem to get his sculls out of the water in time before Draco had already started to push his back through the air once more. Inevitably, they caught a crab every other minute and almost turned the boat over more than once.

They just couldn't apply their forces into the same direction at the same time and the double scull was awkwardly jerking back and forth rather than moving into one direction...the only thing that seemed to advance them was the current.  
Malfoys had never seen patience as a virtue and Draco was true to his type. As a stroke and team captain used to leading but not to failure and infuriated at this whole mess of a predicament, he resolved to vent his anger into snide remarks and shouted commands and, in hindsight, he had to give Potter credit for having kept his temper at check for the long twenty-seven minutes he'd managed.

But at the nth time Draco yelled a version of "Damn it Potter, you couldn't keep an even pace if your life depended on it, could you? Maybe it'd help if I shoved a metronome up your arse" he felt the sliding seat behind his draw close and arms wrap around his, firm but gently closing around his hands and thus stop his oars from moving onwards. For a moment they where harshly thrown off balance, but Harry's hands steadied them skilfully and for the first time in the last half hour, their boat just floated, evenly and calmly, along the river.

Draco was too perplexed to lift a finger. "Ok listen Malfoy," Harry's voice breezed low but threatening right next to his ear, "clearly this doesn't work, agreed? I'm really not used to row double, if I row myself, it's either single or as stroke so cut me some slack, alright? How about you just count the rhythm out loud and I'll try my best, let's start slow."  
The fine hairs in Draco's neck stood up and his skin prickled where Potter's breath had brushed it, he felt his knees pressing pointed and warm into his back, muscled arms engulfing him like a straight jacket and strong hands, calloused from hours spent in rowing boats covering his, pinning his fingers down onto and around the scull-handles.

He couldn't talk. So to do something he forced himself to start breathing again. He pushed air out of his lounges and forced his torso to expand to let fresh oxygen stream in. His rips brushed against Potter's arms and he noticed the other boy shifting slightly against the movement.  
He regathered his composure and unable to admit out loud that Harry was right, he nodded calmly and told Potter's hands "Ok, let's try that." then he waited for Potter to uncoil from his back and retake his position.  
"Just a sec, we almost drifted into the greens at the bank, I'll just put us back on course." with a few precise strokes of first one, than the other oar, Harry had them back on a straight track running parallel to the riverside.

"Alright, I'm ready."

"Right, at 'One' blades dip into water, at 'Two' they come out." Draco clung to the well-known commands to get his security back and he noted that a tension he hadn't even realized he felt and emitted until now fell from him. He felt finally like really being out on the water, back on familiar ground. "Team ready? Initial position, we start with full-length strokes and half speed, about 20 beats per minute." deciding things, Harry letting him take control, centred him, gave him focus. "aaand boat casting off!"

Harry sighed mentally. Finally Draco started to relax. He himself might not be used to take commands in a team, but it hadn't helped that Draco had been strained and generally uptight. His own problems to follow Draco's moves where only exponentiated by the fact that the Slytherein yanked his sculls around abruptly instead of letting them run smoothly like he started to do now. Hopefully things would start to get better know, they just had to.

Tension was still casting a pall over them like a high-pitched note fading away at the edge of their hearing but they finally made headway. They where slow and felt like rookies sitting in a skiff for the first time again, but it was an improvement even if it was far from meeting the requirements they held to themselves or others. 

After an hour they silently parted dreading to meet again tomorrow and remembering with horror that Madam Hooch had announced that she wanted to 'supervise their progress' Saturday afternoon.

Their next training session went alike and by Saturday morning they'd found a kind of routine but where generally still progressing agonizingly slow with Draco issuing commands and keeping pace and Harry making sure they stayed on course. Both of them felt humiliated and performing far below their capability but they couldn't seem to help it since anytime they tried to take up speed or pressure, the something that was clearly off between them started to show and mess up their stroke.

They where almost relieved now as they waited for Madam Hooch the same afternoon. The teacher clearly had to see the impossibility of them working together, they just cancelled each other out, and thus, Draco was sure, their effort would be appreciated but the plans to force them to form a team would have to be aborted.  
It wouldn't be his or Potter's fault, it would just be accepted as impossible and maybe they'd try something else to make their eight work...maybe they yet had to make an exception to let Astoria be cox, or even - perish the thought - they had to look for another stroke...Draco didn't like the idea at all and would vehemently oppose to whoever would suggest it, but he was getting desperate and if he had to take this ordeal with Potter till March, he might let himself be persuaded...seriously there had to be a way around making them row double! At Slytherin they where taught that every rule had a loophole and if there wasn't one, you just created it. Seriously one might think forcing him and Potter together was one big messed up caprice of f---

"HERMIONE?!" Harry's voice broke through his thoughts...he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings and therefore had missed that Madam Hooch followed by the Gryffindor girl had approached them.

"Miss Granger offered me her assistance. I understand she helps your team train quite frequently, doesn't she Mr. Potter?"

"Uhm, yes of course...but it's not like that's officially her job or something."

"I just prefer studying sports in theory and perfecting their techniques instead of exercise myself." Hermione remarked pointedly, eyebrows raised and thus ending the flood of words she knew Harry might regret later if it went on.

"How about we just get to work then?" Madam Hooch spurred them on and unwilling to risk disgruntling their trainer or Hermione any further the boys went to get their boat onto the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **
> 
> Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's an update! :D (sorry for the bad joke^^) There is more where this came from, but since I'm going to be without proper internet or time to write for all of next week, I plan to release the next chapters every 2-3 days with the magic of the "Chapter Publication Date - Option" (that should work, right? I'm still knew here but it sounds like a function like this might do exactly that and help me keep a regular update schedule)
> 
> I've never written such a long consecutive text before and I never thought that this fic would become so extensive (so I'm sorry if I might become inconsistent in minor details soon) ...though since I've never been a person of few words, I should have considered the possibility of easily writing +20000 words to get my point across^^ I hope you don't find the story lengthy... I promise the next chapters will push the plot, but I fear it might still be a long way...I still don't even know how many chapters there could be at the end.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you still enjoy my story and stick around :) Thanks for all the kudos and comments, they are dearly welcomed and I love each and every one of them!
> 
> P.S. If it isn't obvious by now that I like to make innuendos to the original series (e.g. the names of the boats), fear not, it will only become more and more obvious from here on^^ as a fan of multiverse-theories, I think that everything that exists in one universe, should have some sort of counterpart in another ;)


	7. There is no I in teamwork...but there's 'us' in combustion

"Potter and Malfoy what the _hell_ do you think you're doing there?" They where five minutes into training and Harry had to wonder how Madam Hooch's voice could be that loud even with a megaphone. She reared up threatening in the motorboat like it was a carriage and she a roman emperor and had started shouting at them as soon as they'd started their first stroke. She was angry and Harry knew she had every right to be. The last days Draco and him had busied themselves with a petty excuse of moving a boat instead of getting their shit together. They hadn't said more than the bare necessary minimum to each other or actually tried to figure out how they could make this work.

 

But how could they anyway Harry thought bitterly, he couldn't even figure out how to handle Malfoy on a regular basis. For years, he _didn't even have to think_ in the prat's presence; he just had to react to the malice oozing off of him. It hadn't been pleasant but easy.

They had fought and argued so much their feud had become proverbial at Hogwarts. He'd never admit to the fact that he secretly enjoyed their collisions and got a kick he didn't dare to probe to the ground of out of riling Draco up.

They had been _reliable_.

They knew how to act around each other, what to expect, they could assess the others actions and reactions and most of all: he was save from doing anything _unpredictable_ as long as he could rely on Malfoy's solid, rottenly spoiled, _normal_ self.

 

That was also why couldn't handle smart, successful Slytherin-Teamcaptain-Malfoy from afar, so how the hell should he handle Teammate-Draco sitting in front of his nose and every breeze floating his shining blond hair so close to his face he could _smell_ it? He would go mad wondering whether it was really as soft as it looked!

 

The turmoil in his head must have been visible on his face since Hermione's voice suddenly replaced Hooch's: "You're clearly overthinking this, boys! Just stop thinking and start rowing! Stop thinking!" her voice was smooth and almost quiet and of course she was right, Hermione used to be.

 

"Stop thinking? Thought Granger didn't know those words could be combined into a sensible sentence" Harry heard Draco grumble lowly and answered with an affirmative grunt before he forced his mind to drain, like he'd practiced with Remus and he saw Draco's shoulders in front of him relax as well.

 

Maybe he should stop asking how he would get through this ordeal and stop trying, but rather just row and maybe the rest would come to them by itself.

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

 

Draco would have liked to think that they'd made some progress today, that things where finally starting to come together (or rather unravel) and that it would be a walk in the park from here on...or at least some hard, worthwhile training and eventually success in the form of winning some regattas (though preferably of course all of them).

 

He knew better though, they had still been disastrous...maybe not as horrendous as the first time they'd been sitting in a boat together, but still further from remotely passable than Draco had ever thought to be degraded.

 

He had managed to keep his mind off things as long as he could focus entirely on rowing (even if he still couldn't believe he'd been taking _Granger's_ advice to do so) but as soon as they where out of water and Hooch gave them a rundown, his ability to concentrate hit the wall, all his thoughts came crashing back together with all the doubts and cogitations that had haunted him this whole past week.

 

Their trainer basically telling them that they could forget the eight with this kind of performance helped to ruin the sparse remainder of his initially already poor mood. They were really making an effort, weren’t they? Hooch could at least appreciate that much!

 

 

With the threat that she would expect them for ergometer-training the next morning at ten sharp she walked briskly away. Hermione stayed behind, looking like she wanted to add some statements of her own, something uplifting by her, compared to Hooch, far more agreeable look, but Harry was apparently as done for as Draco felt himself, he walked right past her, his sculls shouldered, without giving her time to start and if Draco wasn't mistaken, he even heard him lowly snarl at the girl to nip her speech in the bud.

 

Draco hurried to take his own sculls up and follow suit, glancing an apologetic look and hasty "Maybe-we-can-catch-up-later-or-tomorrow-yes? Thank-you-for-sticking-this-out-with-us!" at Hermione because even if she was a strenuous smartass, she just looked too hurt after being ditched like that and he decided that upsetting the one person trying to help wouldn't be strategically wise.

 

As he reached the oar-rack at the far end of the boathouse, Harry had already deposited his and was standing apparently waiting for him, arms crossed and kinda-adorably mixing pouting and fuming with rage.

 

Still bracing for shouting, screaming or even a fistfight, he used his full couple-of-inches advantage in height to arrange himself towering before Potter.

 

He would have never expected that the other boy would simply crumble in front of him, baring strained nerves and exhaustion on his features and looking up to Draco with eyes full of desperation.

His hands raked through the black tresses of his hair, upsetting it even more than it already was - and Draco was almost tempted to smooth it back down - Harry, his face still flushed from exercise, his hair a mess and literally making puppy-dog-eyes, was just too much for him to process.

 

"Draco, this is bullshit, this will _never_ work!"

 

"Are you saying you're giving up?" White anger flared up in Draco - and it was good, he could always handle anger - and _Potter_ drawing in his horns so easily, _Potter_ who was infamous for _not_ -doing exactly this, who'd shown endurance and resilience anytime he was fighting Draco, obviously couldn't spend the same energy to _work with him_ , it was like pouring oil in the flames of the rage that had already been simmering inside him for the last week.

 

"Would you _just listen_?" Harry tried to explain and calm Draco, but at the same time starting to shout himself.

 

"I have _one_ last idea. Either Ron or I become stroke for the varsity eight and Astoria replaces me as coxswain, that way neither the numbers of Slytherins and Gryffindors nor the overall genders, at least of the rowers, would chang -"

 

Draco took one threatening step towards Potter, diminishing the gap between then into nonexistence until Harry compensated with a step backwards, ending up between two stacks of boats that ran up the wall and being trapped but Draco didn't care.

 

"Why should I step back from the varsity-team? It's not my fault that we ended up in this mess!" Draco was not going to take any of this idiocy from Potter, they where in this together and he would not take the blame alone or yield the floor to him or this scourge of an uneducated pleb _Weasley_!

 

"Cause me stepping down wouldn't help anything, but at least I _offered_. You could just do this to solve everyone's problems and because it's a _nice_ thing to do for a change and moreover, it shouldn't really be a sacrifice for you anyway, you're probably the best fencer in this whole bloody school and to top it of, you also compete in show jumping! Everybody knows you're only rowing cause it looks good on your CV and the reason you became team-captain is that Snape and your Dad are old friends." Harry couldn't stop himself from blurting all this out. Every vicious thought, every mean bit, even if he knew it wasn't entirely true...but it wasn't wrong either and Harry had always hated the fact that Malfoy just acted out the cliché of a rich, privileged heir and was rewarded for it by being successful, smart and handsome. Draco had obviously never known hardship in his life but romped through by walking all over everyone to get what he wanted.

It was time someone made him act in league...afterall there was no I in teamwork!

 

Harry's harangue tipped Draco over the edge of prudence. Before he could think about what he wanted to achieve, he'd snatched the scull he had just deposited on its rack before back up, took it in both hands like a pike and used it to push Potter completely back between the boats and against the wall as he lunged at him, pinning him there with the oar and held in place by the weight of his own body.

 

All air was pushed out of Harry's lungs as the bar collided with his ribs, feeling trapped as in a vice, Harry's hands immediately came up besides Malfoy's to push him and his oar away, but he had the disadvantage of standing pressed against the wall, so he couldn't dispose of his full strength and moreover, he had to fear to tear down the boats stacked to both his sides if he pushed the scull away from his body and into the boat-racks (how had Malfoy even managed to manoeuvre it behind the racks in the first place, he had just moved too fast!).

 

"First of all, _Potter_ " Draco hissed, getting the feeling to fight on familiar ground now, "my reasons for rowing are none of your business, but I'm sure as hell _not_ a good competitive rower because I do it for amusement or to gush about it in job applications, I'm one of the best because I savour competing with others and winning. Secondly: that it also the reason why I'm staying on the varsity eight, since no matter what you think, I've earned my place and I wasn't raised to yield to those who haven't deserved theirs. And thirdly: Don't tell my I became team captain thanks to Snape, I don't need to hear that from someone who's got strings pulled and rules bent for him ever since his very first year. You and me both know full well: If that old fool Dumbledore hadn't been so dotty about you that it even rubbed off on McGonagall and all the other teachers in this school, you would have been expelled three times already _at the very least_! I don't need to hear what an unworthy team captain _I_ am from the bloody Chosen One whom everybody loves unconditionally!"

 

Potter was silent at that and merely watched him with a curious mixture of anger and guilt storming through his eyes.

 

Draco had yelled himself breathless so he just stood there, panting, hovering over Potter and pinning him down with all his strength, his gaze wandering over the Gryffindor's strained features looking for an answer to a question he couldn't remember.

Searching to maybe find the question in Harry's eyes.

 

They just stood there watching each other, longer and more tacit than they had ever before studying each other’s expression.

 

Draco couldn't point his finger at it, but he realized that something in Harry's posture and face began to shift as if to answer the question none of them had asked and Harry felt how Draco responded to the change he felt inside himself. Harry wasn't aware that his hands had uncoiled from the oar pressed against his chest and where now simply resting on the carbon pole.

 

Draco couldn't remember standing so close to someone else ever before, not like that at least. He wondered where all his aggression had went so suddenly or what he was supposed to do now that his head was so empty.

 

He was struggling to think of something to say, something to _do_ without breaking that bond between his and Potter's unearthly deep green eyes inches in front of him as -

 

"Harry? Malfoy? Are you still here?" a voice from the gate of the boathouse.

 

"Cedric" Harry murmured in disbelieve, forcing his gaze back into reality as if focusing camera lenses behind his spectacles.

 

Shockwaves of surprise rippled through Draco and he reacted with feline agility. As quick as he'd pinned Potter to the wall before, he was now releasing him, putting the scull back at its place and giving Potter a moment to compose his countenance, before Cedric Diggory came striding into view around another stack of boats in the middle of the room, smiling openly at the both of them onto a scene that didn't betray anything of recent conflict to someone as good-natured as the Hufflepuff.

 

 

"Hey guys, I'm so glad I still found you here, I actually wanted to come earlier and watch you train, but my study group delayed me. Hello Malfoy," he continued without pause holding a slim, long hand out to Draco, "Harry told me you where training double scull, that's so amazing! I think you remember me? We never really met, did we, but I didn't graduate that long ago." he dallied, showing his infamous charms that made it easy for Cedric to get along with anybody.

 

"Of course, Diggory, how are you doing these days?" he was glad his manners ran on autopilot, he was still far from regaining his composure, but he managed a firm handshake and a civil, if slightly forced, smile to meat Cedric's open hearted one.

 

It suddenly had become confined and hard to breathe.

 

"I'm doing awesome, thanks. Harry and I wanted to head down to Hogsmeade and meet up with some friends, care to join us?"

 

Draco casted a glance at Harry to see what he might think about that offer but he couldn't read the dark haired boy's closed face and it didn't really matter anyway.

 

"Sorry, I still have fencing...actually I'm afraid I shall be late if I don't leave now. Good bye Potter, Diggory, have a nice evening." A little to abrupt to be entirely polite, Draco vanished through the door leading to the locker rooms determined to grab his belongings as quickly as possible and be gone. He hadn't be lying, only stretched the truth a bit, he had plenty of time to get to his next training session, but it had been a handy excuse to escape Cedric's oh-so-smashable candid and utterly naive smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm not sorry for that chapter's title ^^ hope you like the following two chapters, I sure do because things finally develop further, I just hope I can keep up the momentum but I'll do my best :)
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway: I figured out that I can only backdate Chapters and not pre-date them to make them go up automatically in the future...I have one more chapter, I'll either post it later today or try to release it during the week via saving it as draft, the chapter after that is putting up a little fight since I know what I want to happen but not hot to best connect events...but hey, I have a week to figure it out :D   
> Sooo...Chapter 9 will be uploaded beginning of next week then.
> 
>  
> 
> As always, thanks for reading, Sulfuric!


	8. Peaks and Revelations

Harry watched Draco as he made his exit. Mixed feelings welling up inside of him and carefully concentrated on not showing any of them.

"So, are you ready to leave? Neville, Hannah and Cho are already in the Pub and texted me that they just ordered the fist round." Cedric jolted Harry out of his thoughts once more.  
"Hmm? Oh, Sorry, I think I have to pass. After that training session I'm a goner and besides, Madam Hooch will have my guts for garters if I go out drinking, she forbade us any alcohol until we get our shit together." Harry lied through his teeth unable to picture himself spending a cheerful evening but rather wanting to crawl in a hole and not come out until he'd figured out what to do with Malfoy and their double-disaster.

"Are you really doing that bad in the double?" Cedric asked, concern and empathy written all over his face.

"Worse!" Harry laughed hollowly. He was just pondering to pour his heart to Cedric as the look of compassion vanished from his face...right. Ever since their ultimate break up their friendship was still feeble and it was probably best not to strain it with his problems. But even before that Harry had noticed that, though Cedric was a compassionate man, his empathy didn't reach profound emotional gravity, his cheerfulness seemed to prevent that, a trait Harry had found very desirable at the beginning since he'd hoped that Cedric's upbeat personality would brighten him up as well, only later had he missed the seriousness in his demeanour.

"But say hi to the others for me, okay?"

"Sure thing, maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" Harry had always wondered how Cedric could charm away melancholy that quickly, it seemed like nothing could ever affect him for long, something that had send Harry frequently around the bend. 

"Sure! That is if Hooch doesn't kill us during ergo. Besides, Ron is already yearning for his chance to whop your ass in chess." He managed to sound sincerely joyful, even if his smile didn't reach his eyes. But Cedric didn't seem to notice but than, he rarely ever had.

With a last flash of his bright smile and a tiny wave, Cedric was off and Harry remained alone in the boathouse. 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

The buzzer indicating touché went off and Draco Malfoy's opponent stepped aside beaten.

"Next!" Draco's voice demanded sharply. His epee was slicing scrutinizing through the air in front of him and as the next swordsman stepped tentative onto the floor, Draco took his fencing-stance once more, feet apart, body turned sideways, one arm balancing back above his head and the other holding his weapon like a peaked extended finger.

The Slytherin fencing team had trained duelling for about forty minutes, but their captain had already driven six opponents from the field and was about to make short shrift with the rest of the team.

Blaise watched his best friend warily. Something, probably Potter, had thoroughly spoiled his mood and he made them all suffer with him.

He knew Draco's temper; he had often seen him angry or sad (even if he did his best to always hide the later as well as could), but he'd never seen him agitated like that.

Normally Draco was an elegant fighter, not exactly defensive but avoiding needles risks; he was careful not to provide his opponent with an easy target by baring his body or recklessly charging into an attack himself. But today he was simply thrashing through the ranks of his teammates without wasting a thought about his own defence or his adversary's epee.

Good thing they where all wearing thick protective vests and masks or Draco would eventually inevitably seriously hurt someone.

In another part of Hogwarts, Remus Lupin mused what would break first: Harry's wrist or the trainings-dummy's wooden arm? Either way, he wouldn't have dared to bet any money on the long-term-survival of the dummy.

 

****************************************************************************************

 

As Harry and Draco entered the boathouse's gym on Sunday morning, they found that Madam Hooch had prepared two ergometers next to each other next to which Hermione was just now positioning a tripod for her infamous camera.

"What's this?" Draco crinkled his nose at a rod apparently connecting the ergometers' sliding seats

"Something that will force you to row in a common mode." Hooch explained coolly. "The connection between your seats will teach you to row in the same tempo and move together."

"Draco is a little taller and therefore ha a wider range of movement, but Harry you're more agile and should therefore be able to compensate but you'll have to get used to each other first. In an eight the oars aren't evenly distributed but offset, therefore it's easier to balance slight differences in the team-members' movements, but in a double it's of the utmost importance that you are rowing synchronous...I'll show you what I mean when I've made the first videos of you." Hermione added excitedly slourishing in her element.

Draco looked sceptically at Harry and found his doubts mirrored in the Gryffindor's face.

"Well it's not like we have a choice, do we?" Harry sighed resigned to answer his unvoiced dubitation and took his seat on one of the ergos.

"Nine thousand metres at 20 to 24 beats per minute given by Malfoy, 1000 metres warm up and then you're taking the watt up to at least 180 and keep that for 500, then 1000 relaxed and repeat."

Draco groaned internally - apparently Hooch planed to wipe the floor with them. But he also caught the competitive glimmer in Harry's eyes he knew from rowing against Gryffindor and even if he was still feeling out of it after overspending himself yesterday at fencing, he was ready to bring it on.

 

****************************************************************************************

 

Eventually Harry didn't feel like sitting on a ejection seat everytime Draco reached the turning-point of his movement.

Eventually Draco started to adjust to the extra bit Harry had to bend forward to reach as far as his own arms and they reached there the same time.

Just moving, without water to overcome or sculls to maneuver, without a boat that had to be balanced, without the feeling of Harry breathing down his neck or Draco blocking his field of vision, but next to each other and bound together as they where, they slowly found into a rhythm that finally felt right to them.

Their overall stats where still worse than what they would have achieved separately, but nonetheless a sense of serenity settled over them during cool down.

Utterly exhausted they finally made their way to the locker rooms together in comfortable silence, a very new occurrence Draco hat to admit but one he could get used to he reflected wiping sweat and the hair coming undone from his ponytail from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.

"So...this was...better." Harry awkwardly tried to strike up a conversation smiling shyly at Draco.

"Yes, thank you for not throwing the helve after the hatchet after our...dispute yesterday."

"Don't mention it, that was my fault just as well." Harry conceded amicably, carefully testing this unknown ice of them talking easily, "Speaking of hatchet: How about we bury it?"

Draco couldn't contain his laughter at this bad pun. But he also appreciated the offer, they really where beginning to become a team now after all and it wouldn't do to harbour any further grudges.

"Alright, Harry" he emphasized the name he'd never said out loud before on its own to show his willingness to change the tone of their relationship, and stretched his hand out towards the other boy.

Harry looked at it and instead of taking it, he looked at it in disbelieve. Before Draco could think about the reason for that and withdraw his hand, Harry had already seized his wrist and pushed the sleeve that had already rode up a bit and exposed a small section of his forearm up to his elbow.

Draco tried to wrench his arm free but Harry's grip was like a vice and the damage was done anyway: "Is that a TATTOO?" He exclaimed incredulous.

"No, it's a bloody birthmark! Of course it's a tattoo you blockhead!" Draco snarled defensive, trying to shove his sleeve back down but Harry just used his free hand to stop him and then stroke over the ink in Draco's skin.

It was a curious motive that Harry would have never connected with the poncy git he knew...but then again, he wouldn't have connected any tattoo with Draco.  
It was an extremely well made and artistically intricate image in black ink against pale skin: A snake coiling around a skull. Every single scale on the snake's body was elaborated and shaded. Harry tried to catch every detail as he looked at it, gently turning Draco's arm into the light to get a good look.

"This is real" a statement, not a question. "Tattoos aren't allowed at Hogwarts." another simple statement.

"No shit Sherlock, that's why I always wear long sleeves." Harry's eyes locked Draco's, his look dumbfounded surprise. "I always thought you wanted to avoid getting a tan"

Draco grinned unsure. "Having skin that burns within minutes has its advantages. Could I now get my arm back, please?" He didn't know how he managed to stay so calm, Harry had found out the one secret that could get him expelled...maybe all that kept him from losing his head was the way Harry had examined, yes admired his tattoo. It didn't seem like he planed to rat him out to McGonagall. 

All that Harry thought at that moment was simply: "Where was I looking to have missed that in the showers last time?" but other questions were preying at his mind as well: "Do your parents know about this?"

"It would be pretty pointless getting a tattoo to rebel against your parents but not showing them, wouldn't it?"

"You rebelled? Why?" oddly insulted Draco realised that Harry seemed to have a harder time wrapping his head around the idea of a renegade version of him than that of the one having a tattoo.

Draco braced himself...and decided to throw the rest of his caution to the wind and lay all his cards on the table. He sat down on the long bench dividing the room and waited until Harry was seated next to him: "The summer after fifth year. I came out to them as gay, they told me I was a disgrace to the family and the Malfoy name, so I went and hid at Pansy's for a week and got the tattoo in London. My father...had actually gotten the same design when he was young, he calls it a 'sin of one's youth' now but I knew it reminds him of some great times, and I think I wanted to show them that no matter what they did, I'd always be their son, their flesh and blood and more than anything, I wanted to remind my father that he wasn't perfect either, that his parents probably thought he was a disgrace as well but that tattoos or my sexuality wouldn't change who I was. Eventually we made our peace, it probably helped that my mother discovered having a gay son was all the rage nowadays, plus I think all I achieved by getting a tattoo with a fake ID was proving them that without their guidance I would turn into the next Sirius."

 

Fuck. As soon as he'd said it, he wished he'd bitten his tongue off instead.

He wanted to make a lax joke but realised too late what he'd said and to whom. Harry's eyes sparked and his expression turned blank and bitter. Looking to the floor he whispered almost inaudible but angrier than Draco had ever thought possible: "You know he was officially declared innocent and exempted from punishment, they even paid compensation." finally looking up at Draco again, with eyes that where now full of hurt and pain and even tears "He's a great guy actually, he may be a disgrace to your mother's family, but he's still the closest thing to a family I've ever had...counting my living relatives." 

Even if it made him feel unbearably guilty, he held Harry's gaze. "I'm sorry, honestly. I didn't think and I didn't even mean it, it should have been funny, but obviously it wasn't, it was tactless." Harry sitting in front of him like personified misery made him reach out and cover his hand with his own.  
"I'm going on and on about my parents without even considering that I'm lucky to have them in the first place, I must have just replaced every bad picture of me you ever had with an even worse one." he probably should shut up before his sincere attempt to apologise turned into a mindless ramble.

"You know what's really weird any time someone tells me how sorry they are my parents died? I was so young when it happened, I can't even remember them. People who knew them tell me about them and tell me I should be proud because they where awesome, but I've never felt like I have a reason or right to be proud, since nothing of them contributed to who I am and I had no part in their life either. Of course I'd rather choose they were around if I could, but at the same time, they never have been, so I don't even know if it's possible for me to justify missing them like people expect me to. It's like missing a place you never visited. Sure, you can long for it when people talk about it and when you see pictures but it's always abstract...sorry, I probably don't even make sense to you" 

Harry pulled his hand out of Draco's and started rubbing his eyes with the balls of his hands, pushing his glasses askew and lastly sat there, arms probed up on his knees, face covered in his hands, a picture faltering between desperation and grief.

 

Draco was at a loss, he didn't know what to do or say so he just stayed silently next to the brooding Harry. 

 

Several minutes that none of them counted passed. The silence between them seemed to expand and fill the room around them. 

Ultimately Draco placed a tentative, soothing hand on Harry's back and, still not knowing whether he'd found the right words said: "You don't have to know something to miss it. Everyone knows things like love, family or friendship when they have them, so of course we notice if we are lacking them as well. Deep down we always know if things feel right or wrong to us, so of course you'd miss your parents even without ever meeting them, that's just natural...even if you don't know specifically what you're supposed to miss, that's actually what makes it even harder and more unfair."  
He felt Harry's tense muscles shift under his palm, the heat radiating from his body "But Sirius was your parents' best friend, right? You can probably get to know them a little through him...experience what they might say and do themselves if they could...sorry, I'm not sure I'm helping at all..." 

Finally Harry peeked out from between his fingers at Draco and chuckled lightly "You know, Draco, I bet Sirius would actually highly approve of your tattoo and maverick attitude." together they laughed away the last bit of tension between them and had, just like that, managed to spirit away their feud completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe this chapter does a bit of Cedric-bashing and I'm really sorry but it couldn't be helped. I honestly think that Harry and Cedric would be great together and maybe I'll one day write a fic where he and Harry are in a serious, deep relationship and Draco has to seriously proof himself as the better man for Harry (and boy, this is going to be tough!), but since I precisely wanted to make this a Drarry fic of them falling in love...Cedric had to go^^
> 
> I imagine that a certain emotional shallowness and naivety would be his only serious flaws since he's trying to get along with everybody (and also seriously, he's Hufflepuff, being too nice is kinda their thing ;) ) so I boosted them a bit


	9. The Past and the Progress of the Present

"Harry come on, I have to show you and Draco some videos" without tolerating resistance (which Harry hadn't planed to offer) Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him out of his seat next to Ron over to the Slytherins' table during lunch later the next week, pushed him into a chair next to Draco and seated herself right across from them, placing her laptop so they could all see the screen.

Harry gave Draco a small, shy smile and whispered "Just let Hermione do her thing, we couldn't stop her anyway." the Blonde rolled his eyes in response and answered just loud enough for her to hear: "I know, if we don't comply she'd just force our eyes open with some torture device and start playing Beethoven on top."  
"Have you finished?" Hermione asked disapprovingly, her eyes wandering from one boy to the other frowning. She was glad that Draco and Harry had finally started to get along a little better, but had hoped that this would've meant their training would improve further as well.  
She didn't know when or why exactly the two had lost the hostile edge in their interaction, but their rowing was still a little off and therefore she had cut the training-sessions she'd filmed into a little movie-sequence to demonstrate them their mistakes. 

Madame Hooch had decided that the varsity eight would start it's own training in a couple of weeks rather than waiting longer and Hermione still wondered if Harry and Draco where up for the task to lead the team as stroke and coxswain. If they weren't in synch as a double, how could they coordinate instructions for seven more people?  
It would be Draco's job as official team captain to issue directions, but Harry would be his - so to say 'second in command' - everyone in the boat, even Draco had to listen to his every word while they where rowing together, after all, Harry would be the only one facing towards the direction they where heading to as well as seeing every scull and therefore be able to tell who was making what mistake...it wouldn't do for Draco and Harry to be anything but in line with each other to give congruent instruction.

"If you two could give me the honour of your concentration now?" she asked pointedly to finally get started with her presentation: "First of all" she began her speech by opening the video-file on her laptop, "I wanted to show you some clips of you rowing together, they are from the training I filmed on the river and on the ergometer." the clip started to play showing Harry and Draco in the double scull, first a few strokes in normal speed and then the same sequence in slow motion "do you see what's wrong here?" she asked them pausing her presentation.

"Harry, you lunge your upper body forward too far and to get back quickly enough you yank your arms up too high and so pull the blades too deep through the water, that way you need an awful, unnecessary amount of energy and strength to manoeuvre the stroke but too little of it actually goes into speeding the boat." Draco analysed with practiced precision. "Seriously" he turned around facing Harry with a mocking sparkle in his eyes "How did you ever manage to be considered a good rower?"  
"First of all: I'm a fucking awesome cox so I got that going to fuel my rowing-reputation and secondly: It might not be good style, but I'm still faster and more powerful than a lot of others and thirdly: If you weren't that ridiculously long, I didn't have to stretch that far to keep up" Harry replied feigning haughty arrogance.  
"Not my fault you midget! And besides: not good style? That's an understatement if I ever heard one, you look like cranking one of those old fountain-winches" Draco chuckled. "You know that your hands are supposed to stay on one straight line, yes?"

"Well at least I properly use my legs to push myself into the stroke, you straighten your back before your legs are fully straight, I think you could use some more core muscles in your lower back to keep yourself balanced there. Do you know how much power for the stroke is lost if you let your back fall like that?" Harry did his best tease-impression of Draco's tone from before.

"Hey, there is nothing wrong with my lower back." Draco actually slapped Harry's thigh indignantly in play at that and the Gryffindor gave a little yelp. Some heads turned towards them curiously and Pansy did her best to be not noticed watching the trio. 

"Well it's great that you can acknowledge your mistakes!" Hermione felt she had to intervene before the teasing between the two might switch into one of the hateful arguments they used to be caught in. "I also have some other clips from various Olympia-regattas to show you what you could and should actually look like while rowing."  
Hermione started a series of videos that had to be from every Olympic rowing competition since the invention of cameras, or at least it seemed like that to Harry, and fell into a monologue about frequencies and stroke-strengths, back-to-shoulder-angles, hand positions, feet movements, special exercises for single muscle groups and the importance of sliding evenly and calmly as to not disturb the boat's momentum.

Harry only listened half-heartedly. Ever since Draco and him had talked in the locker-room, something between them that he couldn't quite name had changed. He didn't see Draco as an adversary any longer, maybe because he'd opened up and showed a vulnerable side, Harry hadn't known the confident and entitled Slytherin possessed, maybe it was because he now knew they had their sexuality in common - even if Harry hadn't told Draco that, he didn't think it was important at that moment - a part of him felt joyous to know of one more gay student here in Hogwarts, there where few enough of them. To be honest, Harry had always assumed that Draco was gay, but having the blond come out to him in person had still been a surprise, still, Harry had tried his best to not show any reaction at all as to not give Draco the feeling that he was some kind of freak or different, Harry knew well enough how it felt to be looked at suspiciously for telling people he preferred blokes.  
Eventually though, all his friends had been accepting, especially when he started dating Cedric, but even more when they had broken up (or rather when Cedric had ended things eventually) and he'd been left heartbroken with the first relationship he'd considered serious shattered.

 

****************************************************************************************

 

Harry had had a crush on Cedric ever since they'd both become school champions in his fourth year, but since he'd been so much older (or at least it had felt like much then), he hadn't dared to act on his feelings, but was content with becoming Cedric's friend until eventually, with getting to know the Hufflepuff better and better, he'd realized that friendship wouldn't suffice after all, that he wanted more! In the spring of his fifth year, he'd finally plucked up the courage to tell the older boy exactly that.

Cedric had been reluctant from the very beginning. Though he said that he too liked Harry as more than just a friend, he also stated that he didn't want to act on those feelings, since he was convinced that Harry's interest in men might only be a short fancy and Cedric didn't want to stand in his way of making other experiences and maybe getting a girlfriend, moreover: Cedric would leave Hogwarts soon to start University and he told Harry that he'd feel bad to hold him back with the obligation of a long distance relationship. 

This had been their first fight and a returning theme in their short but intense relationship. Harry had been furious, shouting, arguing that, even if he was almost three years younger, he knew exactly what he wanted and didn't have to experiment with girls any further to know he was completely gay, that his feelings for Cedric weren't a passing whim but had been a solid fact for over a year and besides, he was old enough so that Cedric didn't have to feel responsible for Harry, he knew he wanted Cedric, wanted their relationship and either Cedric could say yes to his proposal or man up and right out refuse him but please stop making excuses on behalf of what he thought was best for Harry, he didn't need this petty patronising from him and he was, after all, old enough to know what was best for hims-- 

He didn't have a chance to ramble on further; Cedric had lightly taken his chin into his hands and kissed him into silence. Harry had wrapped his arms around the other boy and pulled him closer, as close as possible and sunk into the kiss. After several minutes of soft, tender making-out, he'd looked Harry in the eyes and smiled warmly, apologized for his doubts and said that if Harry was that sure, he just had to believe him and give in to his own feelings for Harry. That was the start of them as an item and Harry had felt unbelievably happy.

Happy until Cedric graduated and started to talk again about not wanting to hold Harry back from 'living out his youth' while he was gone and suggested a break in their relationship, maybe just a couple of weeks over the holidays to 're-evaluate their feelings'. Harry had replied coolly that Cedric should just admit to not loving Harry and to wanting to meet other people himself, maybe he would want to be free from obligations when away studying with a lot of guys that surely where fare more mature, interesting and experienced than Harry. He'd known fairly well in his heart that Cedric really had only the best intentions and Harry's well being in mind, but that didn't make anything better now, did it? Cedric didn't want to commit to them as a couple. Even if they where out to all their close friends he refused to officially introduce Harry as his boyfriend, for example to his parents.

In the end they'd had spend two weeks during the summer-holidays travelling through France, visiting nice little villages at the coast, having awesome heated sex and awful heated fights in cosy bed-and-breakfasts, sightseeing, holding hands, arguing and once again having glorious make up sex. In the end Harry had to agree to pause their relationship.  
For months to come a still guilt-ridden Cedric had tried to re-establish their platonic friendship during visits to Hogwarts (at which he stayed in one of the Academy's guest rooms provided for their alumni and other visitors) while Harry had used every opportunity to fight for their relationship and win Cedric back by seducing him.

This dance of theirs had escalated somewhen in late spring last school-year; Harry had used the opportunity of them going for a walk to once and for all talk about ending their relationship-pause and seriously going back together again, his feelings for Cedric hadn't changed after all and he didn't think they would any time soon. Again Cedric had started to make excuses, saying Harry should look for a boyfriend his own age that would be always there and not just every other weekend--

In a last, desperate attempt to convince Cedric of the seriousness of his feelings, which Harry was sure the other boy did still reciprocate, to fight for what they had and proof what he had to offer, he'd pulled Cedric into a hay-barn at the stables and started snogging the living daylight out of him...his plan had worked...somehow at least. 

While Cedric couldn't resist his hands and tongue, a blowjob, no matter how glorious, hadn't managed to save their relationship but rather pushed Cedric to finally break up with Harry for good, once and for all.  
His assurance that they of course would stay friends had sounded like sheer cynicism to Harry then and it still did sting to have Cedric amicably next to him, but without granting Harry the warmth or geniality he actually craved. 

That was when he'd realized - or at least thought to recognize - that Cedric had probably never actually shown real commitment or heartfelt warmth towards him, but had always stayed a bit emotionally distanced.  
It had hurt all over again and still did to some extend. Had Cedric ever loved him or just felt obligated to return Harry's advances? Had he maybe even felt sorry for Harry and his, in his eyes, childish crush? Anytime he saw Cedric now, he couldn't help a lump of bitterness forming in his throat that was hard to swallow down and he dreaded the day Cedric would introduce him to a new boyfriend for Harry was sure this day had to come eventually.

 

****************************************************************************************

 

Draco had to muster all his concentration to not start to blush. He'd thought fighting Harry was bad, but suddenly getting along with him, joking and even teasing him a bit was unimaginable worse! A warm tightness was spreading in his chest and Granger's - Hermione's - voice sounded far and distant. This was bad. If he didn't watch out, he'd be royally screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a turbulent week - and especially weekend - I'm glad to get some routine back and start writing again (even if routine also means back to learning, working and some other projects that require my attention), writing this chapter really grounded me today and I hope some more things did become clear now, it ended up being pretty introspective after all ;)
> 
> The next chapter(s) will have some more serious plot progress as well, I'd say I'm about half through the story now^^
> 
> Thanks for reading, commenting and kudos, I dearly appreciate every single view and review I get! - Sulphuric!


	10. 'N Synch is not just a 90s boyband

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this one took me so long. I have nothing to offer but the usual excuses: LIFE! My term started again and I have my hands full with studying, working and a few side-projects...I'd love to be able to say it will get better in a couple of weeks but I fear that won't be the case^^
> 
> I really, really want to continue the story though, but I also want to take time and peace to write, otherwise I fear it might just turn awful.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter, I'm already writing on the next one and think I'll post it somewhen during the upcoming week.

"Okay, so you know what to do now, don't you?" Hermione finally finished her monologue and looked at them expectantly.

Draco and Harry mumbled their approval but avoided her eyes, both of them had only processed half of what their self-proclaimed Co-Trainer told them, but none of them was going to admit that, fearing that it would just invite the Gryffindor-girl to repeat her speech and they surely couldn't bear that.

 

Still, when Harry suddenly rose next to Draco, basically bolting upright, it seemed a bit too rushed. "I have to go...stuff to do, thanks Mione, see you later, Draco." he told them without as much as glancing back and left the dining hall.

Draco looked at Hermione; she seemed to be a little uncomfortable one-on-one with the Slytherin without anything to lecture about. Draco remembered that one time in third year when he had insulted the girl and she had punched him in the face...that was their closest personal interaction up to this day. Absent mindedly he rubbed the bridge of his nose remembering the mean right hook that girl had.

Selfconscious Hermione brushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear: "So...I guess I see you in training?"

 

"Yes, yeah...and thank you for all the effort you're putting into this." Draco inclined his head, politely falling back into his well-groomed manners; he wanted to show the girl that he intended to mend their relationship. It would be less stressful to see her during training and not having to keep up a cold facade towards her all the time, she really wasn't that bad and he had resolved to swallow his pride and try to get along with her...Harry would surely appreciate it if he made an effort to be nice to his friends...and of course that in turn would mean their training would become less tense, it would all help them row better.

 

Hermione nodded as well, obviously acknowledging and accepting their truce, gathered her laptop and headed back to the Gryffindor-table, leaving Draco deeply lost into his own thoughts.

 

During the last weeks and days, he had seen sides of Harry he never knew existed. All he had known before was that awkward, scrawny boy with a bad haircut and a hot temper that was so easy to wind up, but now...he wasn't even sure, the changes where subtle but still intense! Once his eyes weren't directed to him in glaring anger but with a soft glow or eager concentration, he had realised that there was more below the surface of a boy that didn't seem to feel all too secure in his surroundings. Harry seemed to buzz with energy, always alert, always tense and Draco wished he knew a way to take this tension away, see him at ease longer than for short moments, relaxed like he was around his friends. He wanted Harry to completely open up to him...maybe that was why he had opened up himself out of a sudden impulse...but given how Harry had just fled the scene after sitting next to Draco for some long thirty minutes, it had been a mistake after all.

 

 

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"Hey there is nothing wrong with my lower back!" Pansy's high-pitched voice sounded next to him in a indignantly-mocking exaggeration of himself earlier, she even slapped his thigh as he had Potter's, but she did it a lot more brutish.

Pansy fell into a fist of giggling and cackling: "You where _so_ flirting with Potter, it was so obvious, even he might've noticed."

 

Slowly Draco turned around to his best female friend, rubbing his hurting thigh: "Pansy could you please _not_?"

 

Noticing the blonde's desperate tone and puzzled, hurt face, Pansy shut up immediately "Oh Draco..." she whispered sympathetically "you seriously like him."

 

"Even if I did, it wouldn't matter" Draco groaned, laying his head down onto the table and covering it with his arms, mumbling into the wood of the tabletop: "he is taken and he _hates_ me."

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

Harry swallowed. Thinking of Cedric had brought up a lot of emotions again, that plus sitting so close to Draco he could smell his shampoo and feel heat radiate from his body had left him both sad and agitated, he was feeling selfconscious about every little shift of his body he was making next to the Slytherin and of every movement the other boy made. They had been so close they almost touched and the hair on Harry's arm had been standing on end.

When Hermione finally had ended her monologue, he had left as fast as he could, he just couldn't stand the tension any longer and seriously needed some time to clear his head from the mess his thoughts had become. He ignored Ron and Ginny looking questioning over to him, curious how his and Hermiones' prep talk at the Slytherin table had went and left the great hall. As soon as the heavy doors closed behind him, he already felt like he could breathe more freely.

 

 

****************************************************************************************

 

 

The next morning, Draco overslept. He had been tossing and turning around in bed without finding sleep till far after midnight and thinking of Harry in more ways than he was ready to admit.

But he couldn't help to let every interaction they recently had replay in his mind and look for signs that might help him to figure Potter out. It was hard though since Draco had to realise that for all the time he spent fighting and watching him, he knew almost nothing about Harry apart from how his face seemed to mirror every emotion that he felt as clearly as if it was one of these mood rings that had been around when he was younger...well, one that actually worked at least.

 

During the last weeks and days, he had seen sides of Harry he never even knew existed. All he had known before was that awkward, scrawny boy with a bad haircut and a hot temper that was so easy to wind up, but now...he wasn't even sure, the changes where subtle but still intense! Once his eyes weren't directed to him in glaring anger but with a soft glow or eager concentration, he had realised that there was more below the surface of a boy that didn't seem to feel all too secure in his surroundings. Harry seemed to buzz with energy, always alert, always tense and Draco wished he knew a way to take this tension away, see him at ease longer than for short moments, relaxed like he was around his friends. He wanted Harry to completely open up to him...maybe that was why he had opened up himself out of a sudden impulse...but given how Harry had just fled the scene after sitting next to Draco for some long thirty minutes, it had been a mistake after all.

 

Draco had to rush to meet Harry and Madame Hooch down at the boathouse.

Somehow he still managed to arrive first and used the time to apply his spray-on sun blocker to save at least a little time, he had foregone that earlier. Even if it was getting close to October, it was still pretty warm and sunny, not a single cloud had disturbed the blue sky for days now. The sun he was openly exposed to on the river was still strong enough to redden his light skin if he wasn't careful, so he tried to use at least mild protection.

 

"Don't you think that's a little exaggerated? It's autumn!" the amused but friendly voice of Harry sounded behind Draco.

 

"I have very sensitive skin, Potter." he retorted slightly piqued still used to the rivalry they had nurtured for so long.

 

"Of course since you never let your skin tan it can't become resilient." Harry was now standing facing him and leaning in close, fixing his eyes onto Draco's and smiling, yes grinning up to him...it was so unfair! He acted all flirty with Draco now after not even properly talking to him yesterday and while being in a relationship on top! Draco couldn't help but feel a hurt pang mixed with slight anger.

 

"Don't you know Harry, tanned skin is actually damaged skin, so _you_ should better follow my example." Draco smirked, with these words he took his spray-bottle of sun blocker, aimed right at the green-eyed boy's face and pushed the spray-button down.

 

Harry squealed and jumped back in surprise, Draco roared with laughter at this as the Gryffindor almost slipped on the still dewy grass while stumbling back.

But then he realised that most of the white spray had fallen on Harry's glasses and smudged them completely.

 

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, I didn't want to ruin your glasses!" embarrassed he hastily took Harry's glasses, intending to wipe them clean with his shirt hem.

 

"No, stop!" Harry's hands where instantly on his wrists firmly holding them in place "If you rub it into the glass it could scratch, sun blocker has these micro particles..."

 

Draco raised his gaze from his hands and met the dark haired boy's. His slate-grey eyes met emerald ones. The Slytherin had never seen Harry without glasses. Even though he squinted slightly without their aid, his eyes where much more radiant (how was that even possible?) and his features seemed completely changed, his cheekbones where suddenly prominent and sharp, his nose seemed slightly crooked, but overall he seemed much more open and...vulnerable.

 

"Oh...your right" Draco felt absolutely awkward, he had wanted to be funny, but ruined everything! His spirits sunk even further than they already had since yesterday.

 

The Gryffindor noticed the change in his mood and the gloomy expression that had replaced the Slytherin's flustered and somehow cute attitude he had gotten when he realised that his prank had smudged his glasses, but he couldn't have been mad at Draco anyway, he didn't do it on purpose and at least that way he had gotten the chance to hear a heartfelt, cheerful laugh from the blonde: "It doesn't matter, I can clean them under the tap, running water will help."

He realised that he still held Draco's wrist in his hands and hastily released them and gently took his glasses.

 

Harry had just turned towards the boathouse to find a tap when Hooch's voice cut through the air. "Good morning! I'm sorry I'm late, we better start right away."

"Just a sec, I wanted to clean my glasses."

 

"Does that have to be _now_?" Hooch asked impatiently

 

"We got sunscreen on them and I can't see anything as it is." Harry explained apologetically, holding the smeared glasses up to explain the situation.

 

Hooch groaned obviously annoyed: "Can't you row without them? I really don't want to loose any more time." Their trainer said pointedly looking at her watch. Draco got angry, Hooch had been late herself and now she acted up because Harry wanted a couple more minutes. He just wanted to give Hooch a piece of his mind as Harry spoke again:

 

"Well...I wouldn't see much but especially at a distance...I guess I could?" Harry replied so unsure it actually came out as a question.

 

"Excellent! Rowing blind is actually a brilliant exercise and you surely know the river well enough to still steer anyway, right?" without even waiting for further replies, she turned around and headed to set up the motor-boat.

 

 

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Harry's glasses stayed abandoned on the landing stage.

It felt strange rowing without his glasses. He could still see plenty of course, but everything was fuzzy and blurry, unsteady shapes and streaks of colour. He had to rely on his ears and instinct to stay in rhythm with Draco but it worked nicely, indeed, better than he would've dreamed, since he could rely on the well-known noises the oars and sliding-seats made. Steering really was easy for him: he knew every curve of the river, every branch hanging into the water and the unclear images he saw, where sufficient to tell him what he needed to do. With everything else, he just trusted Draco and relied completely on what he felt the other boy doing.

He felt a strange sense of connection, of unity. They were finally moving and working as one and it felt thrilling.

Harry was so wrapped up in moving with Draco, he didn't even notice the strain of pushing the boat forward, didn't have to concentrate on staying in rhythm, yes, didn't even notice them moving at all, neither their speed nor their frequency. His eyes were locked on the back of Draco's blond head like it was the only fixpoint in the universe he could orient on.

Even Hooch was quite and didn't disrupt their pace. Until: "Malfoy, close your eyes."

 

"What?" the boat rocked as Draco suddenly spun his head around to face their trainer and forgot all about continuing to stroke. Harry had to quickly balance the boat and was harshly thrown out of his flow.

 

"You heard me, close your eyes, Potter is doing quite well with hardly seeing, so I want to try it for you as well"

 

"But-"

 

"No buts, shut your eyes! Potter, you keep your eyes open to steer, after all you're already handicapped. Boys, supine position, blades into water, aaaand go!"

 

Reduced to darkness, Draco was feeling strangely self-conscious at first, he imagined Harry's eyes piercing into his back, Hooch's stare hovering above him and water that suddenly felt foreign all around. He needed several minutes to gain back an even pace and the security that they wouldn't get their oars tangled or throw the skiff off balance, after he realised that nothing really had changed, he started to relax and concentrate on his stroke once more. Feeling Harry behind him, mimicking his every move perfectly, filled him with a confidence he had never experience before in a boat. They flew through the water and Draco hardly felt any resistance when they started their stroke, dipping the blades through the water-surface at the exact same moment and no backwards-momentum at all when they slid against the boat's movement on their sliding seats to prepare for the next stroke. Stroke by stroke they rowed together.

 

They were a team. They were working together in synch at it was perfect!

 

He kept his eyes closed hoping that this feeling would last and their trainings-session would never end.


End file.
